{"id":196382,"date":"2025-09-03T08:44:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/196382\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T08:44:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:44:28","slug":"cardi-b-wins-civil-assault-trial-brought-by-security-guard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/196382\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardi B Wins Civil Assault Trial Brought by Security Guard"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tCardi B<\/a> won the debate. And the trial too.<\/p>\n

\n\tA week after going viral <\/a>for calling her witness-stand interrogation a \u201cdebate,\u201d not an \u201caltercation,\u201d the Grammy-winning rapper was handed a resounding victory at her civil trial over claims she physically assaulted a security guard she accused of filming her.<\/p>\n

\n\tJurors spent less than an hour deliberating in the closely watched case. Though they only needed nine votes for their civil court verdict, all 12 jurors said they unanimously agreed Cardi did not swing at plaintiff Emani Ellis or scratch the woman\u2019s face during a heated argument on the fifth floor of a Beverly Hills medical building<\/a> seven years ago.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI will say it on my deathbed: I did not touch that woman. I did not touch that girl. I didn\u2019t lay my hands on that girl,\u201d Cardi B, born Belcalis Alm\u00e1nzar, said as she exited the courthouse in Alhambra, California, with her lawyers Lisa F. Moore and Peter Anderson. Stopping to take a few photos with fans, Alm\u00e1nzar said she\u2019s \u201cgonna be nice\u201d this time. She asked her supporters not to \u201cbother\u201d Ellis after the verdict. But, she warned, she won\u2019t be so forgiving going forward.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe next person who tries to do a frivolous lawsuit against me, I\u2019m going to counter-sue, and I\u2019m gonna make you pay, because this is not OK,\u201d she said. \u201cI am not that celeb that you sue, and you think it\u2019s going to settle. I\u2019m not gonna settle. Especially when I\u2019m super completely innocent. I know I got a little reputation, but I swear to God, I\u2019m innocent. I swear to God. Like, I\u2019m really innocent for real.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlm\u00e1nzar said she missed her kids\u2019 first day of school thanks to the trial, and she\u2019s working overtime on her new album, due out later this month. She said it wasn\u2019t easy waking up each morning at 5:30 to prep for court. She said her forehead is \u201craw, raw, raw\u201d from the selection of wigs she wore.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was tough,\u201d she said of the four-day trial. \u201cI hope that this is something that I leave behind, that she leaves behind,\u201d she said of Ellis.<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo jurors who spoke with Rolling Stone after the verdict said it wasn\u2019t even close. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t any other way this could go. Honestly, it was pretty straightforward. We went through the questions, and we all agreed. You saw how the case went,\u201d a male juror who described himself as a nursing student said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe discussed it. We definitely went around, and everyone gave opinions. But everyone had the same conclusion. There was no assault,\u201d a female juror who works as a professional photographer said.<\/p>\n

\n

Cardi B wins at trial, vows she will counter-sue over any \u201cfrivolous\u201d lawsuits in the future<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not that celeb you sue & you think it’s going to settle \u2026 Especially when I\u2019m super completely innocent. I know I got a little reputation, but I swear to God I\u2019m innocent\u201d pic.twitter.com\/kWFTZPPad3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) September 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n\tIn his closing argument, Ellis\u2019 lawyer, Ron Rosen Janfaza, tried to convince the panel that his client was on a routine patrol when Alm\u00e1nzar stepped off a fifth-floor elevator on Feb. 24, 2018, fought with Ellis, and allegedly cut the woman\u2019s left cheek with a fingernail.<\/p>\n

\n\tOutside the courthouse after the verdict, that lawyer said his side planned to appeal. Ellis told reporters she remains \u201cfirm\u201d on her version of events.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t think [the verdict] reflects the truth, but I\u2019m not disappointed. We know that the justice system is sometimes flawed. Unfortunately, that was the case for me,\u201d Ellis said before leaving with her mother and grandmother. \u201cI think we fought a good fight. More importantly, it\u2019s about accountability. I had my day in court. I held my head high. I can walk away and say, I showed up, and she had to look me in the eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe one thing both sides agreed on was the spark that ignited the women\u2019s confrontation. They agreed the conflict erupted over the disputed claim that Ellis was filming the \u201cI Like It\u201d rapper while she was secretly expecting her first child with Migos<\/a> rapper Offset<\/a>. Anderson said Alm\u00e1nzar hadn\u2019t yet told her parents she was pregnant, and she considered Ellis\u2019 actions to be a violation of her privacy surrounding something \u201csacred.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his dueling closing argument, Cardi\u2019s lawyer, Peter Anderson, told jurors that Ellis was the aggressor. \u201cPlaintiff went berserk,\u201d he said in his own final comments before deliberations started around 2:15 p.m. local time. \u201cPlaintiff advanced on Cardi, screaming and yelling, forcing Cardi backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnderson argued that Ellis was an admitted fan who knew the platinum-selling rapper was due to visit the medical building that day. \u201cFrom those facts alone, you can infer that she was actually lying in wait. She wanted to photograph and videotape Cardi,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd even if the meeting outside the elevator was a chance encounter, he said, Ellis testified that Cardi B made it clear that she believed Ellis was filming her. \u201cPlaintiff had the chance to be professional and avoid all of this by putting her phone away. That\u2019s all she had to do. But the evidence is, she kept that phone in her hands all the way through as she advanced on Cardi B in the hallway,\u201d Anderson argued.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the trial, the obstetrician that Cardi B was visiting, along with his office receptionist, told jurors that they heard the women\u2019s loud altercation and rushed to the hallway to intervene. They testified Ellis had her phone in her hands the entire time.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring her two days of testimony, Alm\u00e1nzar was adamant she did nothing wrong. She claimed Ellis was the one who stalked her down the hallway and backed her up against a wall. In colorful testimony that spawned several viral one-liners<\/a>, Alm\u00e1nzar said she and Ellis engaged in a \u201cverbal altercation\u201d only. \u201cShe didn\u2019t hit me. I didn\u2019t hit her. There was no touch,\u201d she testified.<\/p>\n

\n

ICYMI: Cardi B’s civil trial testimony produced some viral one-liners<\/p>\n

I was in the CA courtroom, can confirm multiple jurors smiled or laughed at these:<\/p>\n

“They’re wigs\u201d & \u201cWe’re having \u2026 a debate”<\/p>\n

Cardi denies assaulting security guard<\/p>\n

Closing arguments today pic.twitter.com\/6X1pz1WMYI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) September 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n\tAnderson said his client\u2019s account amounted to \u201ccommon sense\u201d because Ellis did not go to the emergency room or see a doctor immediately after the incident. She also never filed a police report.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe did not know if the scratch that supposedly ruined her life was even bleeding,\u201d he said, citing Ellis\u2019 testimony last week. \u201cShe claims that Cardi mauled her, basically, cut her face, and what did she do? She went home and took a nap. That was her own testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe said the evidence, including the testimony from the doctor and receptionist, supported the defense\u2019s claim that Ellis was the aggressor. \u201cCardi did not do anything wrong, except try to protect her baby and get to a doctor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his final statements to the jury, Ellis\u2019 lawyer Ron Rosen Janfaza said his client wasn\u2019t asking for the \u201cmillions\u201d she allegedly demanded from Alm\u00e1nzar before the trial started. He said his client deserved compensation for her medical expenses, along with $250,000 for past pain and suffering.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe was abused. She was harmed. She was assaulted and battered by Cardi B, and Cardi B needs to pay for that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tEllis, 32, first sued Cardi in February 2020. In her 13-page complaint, she claimed Alm\u00e1nzar \u201cviolently\u201d attacked her, spit on her, hurled \u201cracial slurs,\u201d and then \u201cused her celebrity status to get [her] fired.\u201d As the trial started last week, Ellis\u2019 lawyer confirmed his client had dropped the employment claim related to the alleged plot to get her fired.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the witness stand, Ellis told jurors she was conducting her floor-to-floor rounds when she saw Alm\u00e1nzar exit the elevator and audibly blurted out the rapper\u2019s name in surprise. She claimed she was not talking to anyone on her phone and never recorded the rapper. \u201cShe was extremely upset,\u201d Ellis testified. \u201cShe put her finger in my face.\u201d Ellis claimed the interaction left her \u201cdeeply traumatized.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor her part, Alm\u00e1nzar testified she was in Los Angeles for work and scheduled the medical appointment because she felt \u201cweird\u201d and wanted a pregnancy checkup. According to Alm\u00e1nzar, Ellis even admitted she was recording her. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Why are you recording me? Aren\u2019t you security?\u2019 And she\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, my bad.\u2019 But then I\u2019m walking, and I feel her still following me. So as I\u2019m speed walking, trying to look for the office, I turn around again, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Why are you following me?\u2019\u201d the rapper recalled.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe\u2019s getting closer and closer. Now she\u2019s like in front of me, where I can\u2019t really maneuver,\u201d Alm\u00e1nzar testified. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Ain\u2019t you supposed to be security? \u2026 You\u2019re recording me. Now you\u2019re following me. Like, back up!\u2019 She\u2019s like, \u2018I can do what I want.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlm\u00e1nzar said she and Ellis ended up \u201cchest to chest,\u201d exchanging words. \u201cI\u2019m thinking to myself, this girl is big. She\u2019s got big black boots on,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI\u2019m like, damn, what the hell am I going to do now? She\u2019s literally right in my face, like, on my chest, and we\u2019re arguing, I\u2019m telling her to back up. And she\u2019s not backing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlm\u00e1nzar admitted the argument devolved into obscenities. \u201cBitch, get the fuck out of my face,\u201d she recalled saying. \u201cWe\u2019re literally screaming at each other,\u201d she testified. She claimed Ellis was \u201cwilding out\u201d when the receptionist reached them first. She also testified that Ellis demanded $24 million for her alleged injuries that day.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlm\u00e1nzar\u2019s star witnesses, besides herself, were the receptionist and the doctor. Dr. David Finke said he watched as Ellis allegedly \u201csmacked\u201d the receptionist, Tierra Malcolm. He said Ellis was out of control and \u201cflailing\u201d her arms during what he described as an \u201cepic yelling match.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere was a lot of yelling, a lot of finger-pointing,\u201d he said. \u201cMy receptionist was struck, not hard, but on her shoulder.\u201d The doctor said he tried to de-escalate the situation. He recalled repeatedly telling Ellis in a loud voice that \u201cthis was not OK,\u201d and that she had \u201cto stop and to do [her] job.\u201d Finke said he was a foot away from Ellis, staring in her face, as he wrangled her into the elevator to leave. He did not notice any injuries on her cheek, he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn her separate testimony, Malcolm said it appeared Ellis had Alm\u00e1nzar \u201ckind of cornered\u201d in the hallway. She said the women were \u201ccursing,\u201d but she never heard Alm\u00e1nzar use any racial slurs. \u201cI saw them in the corner, Cardi B\u2019s back to the wall, and I just heard a lot of arguing,\u201d Malcolm testified. \u201cI immediately walked over there and got in between them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMalcolm said she stood facing Ellis, with Alm\u00e1nzar behind her. After the incident, she noticed a scratch on her forehead that was bleeding slightly. She wasn\u2019t exactly sure how she got the scratch, but she recalled seeing Ellis \u201ctrying to reach over me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI could only see arms flying in front of me,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel anything or see any hands come from behind me.\u201d Asked if she heard Ellis yell, \u201cI will fuck your shit up,\u201d she said, \u201cYeah, something along those words.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tMalcolm said that a few months after the incident, Ellis called and asked if she would assist her with some type of claim related to the incident. Malcolm said she declined. \u201cI didn\u2019t think if I told my truth [that] it would help her,\u201d she testified.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlm\u00e1nzar, who\u2019s set to release her second studio album, Am I the Drama?<\/a>, on Sept. 19, previously prevailed in multiple other civil trials. She scored a $4 million jury verdict<\/a> against gossip blogger Latasha Kebe, professionally known as Tasha K. A New York judge later sided with Alm\u00e1nzar and dismissed a libel lawsuit<\/a> that named her as a defendant alongside her sister, Hennessy. Alm\u00e1nzar also won at a California-based federal trial<\/a> where she was accused of\u00a0using a portion of a man\u2019s back tattoo<\/a>\u00a0on the cover of her early mixtape\u00a0Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1.<\/p>\n