A Los Angeles jury has cleared Cardi B of assault allegations brought by a former security guard, closing a high-profile case filled with viral courtroom moments and heated testimony, NBC News reports. The rapper, real name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, was cleared of all liability in the civil suit brought by Emani Ellis, who accused Cardi of assault back in 2018. The verdict followed a trial filled with attention-grabbing moments—including Cardi's now-famous wig swaps—that kept social media buzzing.
The dispute began when Ellis, then a security guard at a Beverly Hills building where Cardi was seeing her obstetrician, claimed the rapper spit on her and scratched her nose during a confrontation. Cardi insisted she never touched Ellis. Rather, she claimed, Ellis followed her to the floor where her doctor worked and appeared to be recording her. She was secretly pregnant at the time, and testified that she feared Ellis planned to expose her pregnancy. Both women agreed a heated confrontation followed.
Ellis said the alleged incident left her traumatized, caused physical damage requiring cosmetic work, and cost her the job. But Cardi's side painted a different picture; both the doctor and a receptionist present that day told the court they saw no physical contact between the two. "Arguing, yelling, even using profanity, is not something you can sue over," Cardi's lawyer said in his closing arguments. "That's just part of normal life."
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The jury apparently agreed, deliberating for less than an hour before clearing Cardi—who told reporters afterward that her forehead was "raw" from the frequent wig changes during the trial. Though just nine of the 12 jurors needed to agree, the verdict was unanimous, the AP reports. "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," Cardi told reporters.
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