Cardi B has been cleared of assault.
After only an hour of juror deliberation on Tuesday (Sept. 2), a jury determined that the rapper did not assault former security guard Emani Ellis.
The jury unanimously found in favor of the rapper on all counts, including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. The jury answered "no" to each question regarding whether Ellis proved the necessary elements for each claim.
Cardi was on trial over a 2018 altercation with Ellis, who was a security guard at an obstetrics and gynecology facility in Beverly Hills when the alleged confrontation occurred.
At the time, the rapper was pregnant with her first child, Kulture.
Ellis claimed that Cardi scratched her face with a fingernail that she described as “about two or three inches long” and attempted to swing at her but missed before body-shaming her, calling her a racial slur, and spitting on her.
Cardi’s legal counsel had disputed the allegations.
The trial made headlines and inspired memes when the plaintiff's attorney Ron Rosen asked Cardi if her hair was real, to define the word "altercation," to repeat profanities at the plaintiff, and if Ellis is "bigger" than the rapper.
Cardi spoke to reporters outside of the courtroom shortly after the decision to thank the jurors, the judge, the “respectful press,” and her fans.
“I know you guys having a little kiki with the moment, but to be honest with you, I have missed my kids' first day of school today … because of this,” she told the press.
She continued, “I swear to God I will say it in my deathbed: I did not touch that woman. I did not touch that girl, I didn't lay my hands on that girl. With that being said, this time around I'm gonna be nice. The next person to try to do a frivolous lawsuit against me, I'm going to countersue and I'm gonna make you pay because this is not OK.”
The rapper also encouraged her fans not to harass the plaintiff nor her family through social media.
“I hope that this is something that I leave behind, that she leaves behind,” Cardi said. “Don't go bother her. Don't be talking about her. Don't be talking about how she looks. Don't call her no nasty names. Let's just put this behind.”
Cardi once again warned that she is “not gonna settle” in future lawsuits, “especially when I’m super completely innocent.”
“I know I got a li'l reputation,” she said as the reporters around her laughed. “But I swear to God I'm innocent.”
Cardi then spoke about the rollout of her upcoming album Am I the Drama?, which is set to be released on Sept. 19.
“It's been really tough. It's been really long nights for me. I'm in the middle of [an] album rollout, so it's been late nights and early 5:30 in the morning mornings. I gotta get up at 5:30 so I could look like this for y'all,” she noted, once again making reporters laugh.
When a reporter noted in Spanish that the rapper changed wigs for all five days of the trial, Cardi said, “I'm telling you guys, when I say that my forehead is raw from changing all these wigs. Raw, raw, raw, raw.”