Cardi B wins $24m assault case in California

United States rapper Cardi B was on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, cleared of assault in a $24 million civil trial in which the singer was accused of slashing a woman’s face with her fingernails.

A colorful hearing in Los Angeles last week saw Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, sporting wildly different wigs and sparring with lawyers, sparking a multitude of viral moments.

A jury in the city threw out claims by plaintiff Emani Ellis that the then-pregnant singer assaulted her while she was on her way to a medical appointment in Beverly Hills in 2018.

Ellis, who is Black, had claimed that Cardi B, who is also Black, shouted racial slurs, spat at her and scratched her face with long fingernails during the altercation.

The “No Limit” star, now 32, had told the court Ellis had aggressively approached her, trying to film her on a phone as she went into the doctor’s office.

“At the time, Cardi B was roughly four months pregnant with her first child and had taken great care to keep her pregnancy private and away from the scrutiny of tabloids and critics,” her lawyers had told the court.

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Attorneys said Ellis had tried to intimidate the “Bodak Yellow” artist with what descended into a profanity-laced screaming match before staff from the medical office intervened.

The jury dismissed the claim for compensation, AFP reported.

After the verdict, Cardi B said she had never attacked Ellis.

She said: “I swear to God, I will say it on my deathbed, I did not touch that woman. I did not touch that woman.

“With that being said, this time around, I’m going to be nice.

“But the next person that tries to do a frivolous lawsuit against me, I’m going to counter-sue and I’m going to make you pay.

“Don’t you ever think that you’re going to sue me and I’m going to settle and just give you money because it’s not going to happen.”

The Star