T.I. has been hit with a legal injunction that prohibits him from releasing his upcoming comedy movie under the title “Situationships” while litigating claims that he stole the moniker from a web series.
Judge Louis L. Stanton says in a preliminary injunction entered Wednesday (July 9) that web series creator Cylla Senii has “shown a likelihood of success on the merits” of her trademark infringement suit against the rapper (Clifford Harris Jr.) and his company Grand Hustle Films.
Senii sued T.I. last month, alleging that the upcoming movie Situationships — written, directed by and starring the rapper — lifts its title from her 2016 web series of the same name.
The web series Situationships originated on YouTube and was later distributed by BET Digital, Amazon Prime and Tubi. Senii claims she’s been working for years to adapt the series into a movie of her own, and that she was “shocked” to learn T.I. was planning to use the title for his film.
T.I.’s lawyers say his movie, which filmed in Atlanta last year, is still in post-production and does not yet have a final title. The rapper’s team argues that even if they do ultimately go with the name “Situationships,” there’s no evidence the movie would compete or be confused with “a series that was released to consumers years ago.”
But Judge Stanton’s Wednesday order sides with Senii, saying she “will suffer irreparable harm through the loss of control of its validly obtained mark and damage to the Situationships brand” if T.I. is allowed to use the title.
“It is therefore ordered that Grand Hustle Films, all of its agents and employees, and all other persons acting in concert with defendants, are restrained and enjoined from producing, releasing, teasing, advertising, marketing, announcing or promoting a film titled ‘Situationships,’” writes the federal judge in New York.
Reps for Senii and T.I. did not immediately return requests for comment on Thursday (July 10).
The preliminary injunction is T.I.’s second legal setback this week. On Tuesday (July 8), a federal judge in California slashed the rapper and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris’ $71 million jury verdict against toymaker MGA down to $18 million.
The judge in that case found that while T.I. and Tiny proved at trial that MGA’s O.M.G.” dolls copied their real-life teen pop group OMG Girlz, there was not sufficient evidence to merit a $53 million punitive damages add-on. The long-running dispute is now on track to be retried for a whopping fourth time.