By Abigail Holliday
Copy Editor
After the jury deliberated for an hour, Cardi B was declared innocent of any alleged assault and battery charges after a very public trial.
Cardi B, born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, is a 32-year-old rapper from the Bronx who debuted in 2018 and rose to win a Grammy, two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards, six Guinness World Records and eleven BET Hip Hop Awards, according to IMDb. Almánzar was involved in an altercation with her obstetrician’s security guard in February 2018. The lawsuit, first filed in February 2020 by security guard Emani Ellis, began on Aug. 26, lasting around a week, ending on Sept. 2.
The “altercation” occurred when Almánzar arrived at her obstetrician’s office, which was closed for the day to give her privacy, considering her pregnancy with ex-husband, Offset, was not yet made public, not even to her parents. According to The Cut, as Almánzar was stepping off the elevator, Ellis recognized her and began holding her phone in a way that looked as if she was recording the rapper.
The alleged actions that followed are what sparked the lawsuit and trial that spanned over five years. Almánzar confronted Ellis in what she claimed was a verbal debate only, asking Ellis to respect her privacy. She also admitted in court to saying, “get the f— out of my face.” Ellis maintained that Almánzar physically attacked her “violently, unlawfully, intentionally, suddenly and maliciously” by hitting, screaming curses and racial slurs, and spitting and even scratching her face so hard she required surgery, as reported by The Cut.
According to CourtTV, Ellis’ lawyer, Ron Rosen Janfaza, argued that Almánzar be fined for medical expenses, damages for loss of past and future earnings due to Ellis losing her job after the incident, punitive damages and a civil penalty of $25,000, equaling $24 million. Dr. Brent Moelleken, Ellis’s plastic surgeon, who evaluated and operated on scarring from “three vertical, parallel marks” likely made from fingernails. This occurred in November 2022, four years after the alleged incident.
Almánzar’s lawyer, Peter Anderson, argued from his opening statement that the judge and jury will agree that Ellis and her lawyer will not present enough evidence to prove that Almánzar physically assaulted her.
Almánzar had requested security footage multiple times from the office, but none was ever given, according to CourtTV, leading Ellis to claim that Almánzar was paying off people to erase the footage. Ellis also claimed that witnesses, such as the receptionist and doctors of the office, were also paid off to support Almánzar’s claims.
When Ellis was asked by reporters if she was disappointed by the outcome, she responded that she was not, but maintained that what occurred in court did not reflect the truth and blamed a flawed justice system for her loss.
Almánzar spoke to the press after the trial came to a close, saying, “I will say it on my deathbed, I did not touch that woman.” According to The Cut, Almánzar also warned those who may think of filing a "frivolous lawsuit” in the future, saying, “I am not that celeb that you sue and you think is going to settle… Especially when I’m super completely innocent.”
