Jury Rules in Favor of Cardi B in Assault Lawsuit

A California jury sided with Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B on Tuesday, finding she was not liable in a lawsuit brought by former security guard Emani Ellis. Ellis had accused Cardi of assaulting her at a Beverly Hills OB/GYN clinic in 2018, when the rapper was pregnant with her first child. The nine-person jury deliberated for about an hour before clearing Cardi of any wrongdoing.
Ellis’s lawsuit, filed in 2020, claimed the artist (whose legal name is Belcalis Almánzar) spat on her, used racial slurs, and lobbied to have her fired from the clinic. Ellis sought compensation for medical costs and at least $250,000 for pain and suffering, alleging that the altercation left her traumatized. Her attorneys argued that Cardi should be held responsible for the alleged assault.
Cardi B firmly denied the accusations throughout the trial, insisting Ellis was the aggressor and attempted to film her entering the doctor’s office before her pregnancy was public. Speaking outside the courthouse, she said, “I swear to god, I will say it in my deathbed: I did not touch that woman.” The rapper warned against future “frivolous” lawsuits, vowing that if targeted again, she would countersue.









