Following a civil trial that sparked a flurry of viral moments that captivated internet audiences, a jury on Tuesday cleared rapper Cardi B of any legal liability after she was accused of assaulting a security guard in 2018.
The jury found that the security guard did not prove the elements of assault, negligence or emotional distress. Cardi B, wearing a black outfit with white dots and a red bow, made a sign of the cross after the jury read its conclusions.
“I’m not even playing around. Even if I’m at my death bed, I swear to God, I will say it at my death bed — I did not touch that woman,” Cardi told reporters outside of court after the verdict was read.
Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, was sued by a former security guard who worked at a Beverly Hills building in 2018 when the Grammy-award winner was pregnant with her first child. The guard, Emani Ellis, alleged that Cardi spat on her and scratched her nose with a fingernail during a verbal altercation.
The “Bodak Yellow” rapper has denied the allegations. During her testimony last week, Cardi alleged that Ellis followed her to the floor of Cardi’s obstetrician’s office and seemed to be recording her.
They got into a heated confrontation, both women testified.
Cardi testified that she felt concerned as she was pregnant and the woman, whom she described as “security heavy,” was bigger than her. Though the rapper admitted to using some profane language, she denied ever laying hands on Ellis.
“She couldn’t get a scratch from me because I didn’t touch her,” she said.
Ellis told the court that the incident left her traumatized and that she required a cosmetic procedure because of the scarring from the alleged assault. She also lost her job over the incident, Ellis said.
David Finke, the doctor that Cardi was going to see that day, testified that it was he who reported Ellis to their practice administrator over the incident. He told the court that he was in his office when he heard yelling.
When he came out, Finke said he saw his receptionist standing between Ellis and Cardi before he intervened. He addressed Ellis while trying to de-escalate the situation, Finke told the court, by telling her to “stop” and “do your job.”
He never saw Cardi assault Ellis, Finke testified. His receptionist, Tierra Malcolm, also told the court that she did not see a physical fight between the women.
There was no one else in the doctor’s office that day because they had closed the office early that Saturday afternoon for Cardi’s privacy, according to court testimony.
Cardi’s attorney, Peter Anderson, told jurors in closing arguments that Ellis failed to prove her case under the law.
“Arguing, yelling, even using profanity, is not something you can sue over,” he said. “That’s just part of normal life.”
