Rumour has it that Cardi B should not be messed with. The rapper has won $1 million (Dh3.7 million) in a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber LaTasha Kebe, who made several salacious claims about her.
The trial started on January 10 at Georgia federal court. On January 24, Billboard reported that the jury sided with Cardi, who accused Kebe of waging a “malicious campaign” against her. Apart from the defamation claim, Kebe was also found liable for invasion of privacy through portrayal in a false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to reports.
Some of the rumours Kebe spread through dozens of videos on her gossip YouTube channel were that Cardi was a prostitute, used hard drugs and had cheated on her husband, rapper Offset.
Cardi, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, first sued Kebe in 2019. During her testimony at trial, she said the videos took an emotional toll on her.
“I felt extremely suicidal,” she said on the witness stand. “I felt defeated and depressed... Only an evil person could do that [expletive].”
According to Monday’s verdict, Cardi was awarded $1.25 million in damages in total. When the trial continues, Kebe could be liable to additional punitive damages and Cardi’s legal fees.
Cardi is best known for tracks such as ‘Bodak Yellow’, ‘WAP’ and ‘I Like It’. Her first studio album, ‘Invasion of Privacy’, was released in 2018 and was the best-selling female rap album of the 2010s, according to Billboard. It also got Cardi the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making her the first female solo artist to win that prize. In September 2021, she welcomed her second child with Offset, a son. She also has daughter Kulture with him.
