Cardi B has been cleared of all charges in a civil trial over a 2018 altercation with a security guard outside an obstetrician's office in Los Angeles. A jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding the rapper not liable for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and false imprisonment.
The plaintiff, Emani Ellis, alleged that Cardi B cut her cheek with a three-inch acrylic fingernail and spat on her during the incident. Ellis claimed the scratch left a scar requiring cosmetic surgery and sought damages for medical expenses, emotional suffering, lost wages, and punitive damages. Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, denied the allegations throughout the trial.
Testimony focused on the events of September 2018, when Cardi B was four months pregnant with her first child. The rapper said she feared her pregnancy would be exposed after Ellis followed her to the fifth-floor office and appeared to film her. Cardi B described the encounter as a 'verbal fight' and insisted no physical contact occurred, stating, 'She couldn't get a scratch from me because I didn't touch her.'
Witnesses, including the doctor and office receptionist, supported Cardi B's account, saying they saw no physical fight. The trial featured viral moments, including Cardi B's description of Ellis as 'security-heavy' and her response to being asked if she called Ellis 'fat': 'No. I was calling her a bitch.'
Outside the Alhambra courthouse, Cardi B thanked her legal team and fans, reiterating her innocence. 'I am not that celeb you gonna sue and you think is going to settle,' she said. 'Especially when I am super, completely innocent.' The jury's swift verdict brought an end to the colourful civil trial.
