California (BN24) – A California jury delivered a swift and unanimous verdict in favor of rapper Cardi B on Tuesday, rejecting a lawsuit brought by a security guard who alleged the Grammy-winning artist assaulted her at a Beverly Hills doctor’s office during her first pregnancy in 2018.
The case, heard in a small courthouse in Alhambra, centered on claims from plaintiff Emani Ellis, who said the hip-hop star scratched her face with a fingernail and spat on her during an altercation in the hallway of an obstetrician’s office. Ellis further claimed the incident left her scarred, traumatized, and in need of cosmetic surgery.
After hearing two days of testimony, including Cardi B’s own account of the encounter, the jury of six men and six women deliberated for just about an hour before siding entirely with the rapper. Although only nine jurors were needed for a civil verdict, all 12 voted in Cardi’s favor.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Cardi B celebrated the outcome and condemned what she described as a pattern of frivolous lawsuits against celebrities. “The next person who tries to do a frivolous lawsuit against me, I’m going to counter-sue, and I’m gonna make you pay, because this is not OK,” she said, posing for photos with fans. “I am not that celeb that you sue, and you think is going to settle. I’m not gonna settle. Especially when I’m super completely innocent.”
The rapper, who said she missed her children’s first day of school because of the trial, added that the experience had been emotionally draining, even down to the elaborate wig changes she made each day, which she joked left her own lawyer unsure which hairstyle was real.
During testimony livestreamed last week, Cardi B acknowledged arguing with Ellis but insisted she never laid a hand on her. She told jurors that at the time she was four months pregnant and worried Ellis might reveal the pregnancy, which she had not yet made public. “I will say it on my deathbed. I did not touch that woman,” Cardi said after the verdict. “I didn’t lay my hands on that girl.”
According to Cardi, Ellis followed her into the building, appeared to be filming her, and even spoke her name into a phone before apologizing when confronted. The argument escalated, Cardi said, but remained verbal. A receptionist who intervened largely corroborated the rapper’s account.
Ellis testified that she felt humiliated and traumatized by the incident, claiming she was left with a facial scar that required surgery and ultimately cost her job. In her lawsuit, she sought compensation for medical bills, lost wages, emotional suffering, and punitive damages. Cardi B testified that Ellis was demanding $24 million in damages.
Ellis’s attorney, Ron Rosen Janfaza, said outside court that his client intends to appeal. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the verdict.
Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar, told jurors she had been in Los Angeles at the time promoting projects around the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. The obstetrician’s office, she said, had been closed to ensure her privacy during the pregnancy, which at that point had only been disclosed to her close inner circle.
The jury’s ruling marks another courtroom victory for Cardi B, who in recent years has successfully defended herself in multiple defamation and civil cases. For the Bronx-born rapper, Tuesday’s verdict was not only a legal win but also a public statement against lawsuits she views as attempts to exploit her fame.
