Judge denies mistrial

The Bratz trial between MGA Entertainment and Mattel goes on. A federal judge turned down MGA's motion for a mistrial in the patent infringement case, despite a juror's reported ethnic slur. The decision was not a surprise - U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson let stand his initial ruling that found the juror's comments didn't impact the decision in favor of Mattel. Now it's back to the penalty phase of the trial, where the question becomes whether Mattel is owed millions of dollars in back royalties or can even claim outright ownership of the doll. The Bratz doll is estimated to generate as much as $1 billion a year. So there’s a lot at stake. (LAT)