Cardi B has just secured a major victory in court.
A federal jury in Atlanta has sided with the Bronx rapper in a defamation suit she brought against a gossip blogger, alleging that the woman consistently reported false stories via multiple social platforms with the intent to humiliate Cardi and tarnish her reputation.
Cardi B, real name Belcalis Almanzar, filed suit against YouTube gossip broadcaster Latasha Kebe (known on socials as Tasha K) back in 2019, citing over 20 videos in which the blogger spread “malicious rumors” and falsehoods about her, damaging her reputation with fans and affecting her business prospects.
These rumors included accusations of prostitution, assertations that the rapper is an illicit drug user, and shared wild, lewd anecdotes about activities she claimed the rapper engaged in while employed as an exotic dancer.
According to the New York Times, Kebe also claimed in a 2018 post that Cardi B would give birth to a child with intellectual delays due to her diagnosis with an incurable STI.
Cardi’s legal team said that Kebe had an obsession with slandering the rapper due to the heightened traffic she received when sharing foul rumors about her, amassing millions of views and followers across multiple platforms.
Both women took the stand in the trial, which kicked off on January 10. Cardi testified that she “felt extremely suicidal” upon viewing the videos the Kebe posted about her, citing hesitations about being intimate with her husband and suffering doubts about her worth as a mother.
“Only an evil person could do that,” Cardi testified.
The rapper also willingly provided medical documentation as proof that she does not in fact have the aforementioned STI.
According to Billboard, Kebe initially admitted that she knowingly reported lies and made-up rumors about the rapper, though she attempted to backtrack on those statements once cross-examined by her own legal representation.
Ultimately, the jury found Kebe liable on all charges in a verdict handed down yesterday. Kebe is liable on two counts of slander, one count of libel, and one count of invasion of privacy, granting Cardi $1 million in damages for pain & suffering due to reputational damages, and $250,000 in medical expenses.
*According to reporting from inside the courtroom today via several Instagram users (@mrdennisbyron), Cardi’s judgment was further adjusted by a federal judge to include punitive damages. Medical expenses were reduced from $250,000 to just $25,000. The $1 million compensatory amount still stands, with an additional $1 million in punitive damages against Latasha Kebe and another $500,000 against Kebe studios added. Finally, Kebe was found responsible for $1,338,750.47 for Cardi’s attorney’s fees, bringing the total judgment to $3.8 million.