Cardi B. has won her libel case against YouTuber Tasha K., with a federal jury awarding the hip-hop star close to $4 million in damages and legal costs.
Cardi B., known legally as Belcalis Almanzar, filed a 2019 lawsuit against YouTuber Latasha Kebe (Tasha K.) for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The rapper accused Sasha K. of posting more than 20 videos and social media comments that falsely claimed Cardi B had worked as a prostitute, used cocaine and contracted herpes.
Filed in 2019 in the Atlanta Division of the U.S. District Court in Georgia, Cardi B’s lawsuit said the rapper became “the target of Kebe’s malicious campaign to damage and destroy Plaintiff’s reputation among her fans and the consuming public.”
In Monday’s jury verdict, Cardi B. was awarded $1 million in general damages for pain and suffering and reputational injury, and $250,000 in medical expenses.
On Tuesday, the jury further awarded the hip-hop star $1 million in punitive damages from Kebe and another $500,000 from her company, Kebe Studios LLC. Another $1,338,753.47 was awarded to the “Bodak Yellow” performer to cover her litigation costs.
Cardi B’s lawyers said that Kebe’s “malicious rumors” about the rapper garnered millions of views on Kebe’s Twitter, Instagram and her YouTube channel, unWinewithTashaK.
Kebe’s lawyers, Olga Izmaylova and Sadeer Sabbak, of Sabbak & Izmaylova, P.C., said in a statement to TheWrap, “We disagree with the verdict and we will be filing an appeal.”
“My Husband, Attorney’s, & I fought really hard. I want to thank them for their long hours and sleepless nights. Winos it’s only up from here. See y’all in a few days. Back to work,” Kebe wrote on Twitter Monday.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.