Even if you haven’t heard any of the Grammy winners music, you’ve surely encountered the name Cardi B. For years she has inadvertently made herself a pop culture icon with her catchy rap music, celebrity rivalries and viral memes. Right now her name is in the news cycle for another reason. Cardi B, real name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, was recently the defendant in a 24 million dollar assault case filed by a security guard named Emani Ellis.
The alleged assault occurred on February 24, 2018 when Cardi B attended a private obstetrician appointment in Beverly Hills. It was not public knowledge, but at the time Cardi B was four months pregnant and had an appointment for a prenatal exam. The building was closed off to the public for Cardi B’s privacy and it was when she was leaving the appointment that the conflict occurred.
Both Ellis and Cardi have admitted to a verbal conflict taking place, though there is ambivalence on whether or not an assault took place. Emani Ellis’ testimony accuses Cardi B of confronting the security guard for supposedly telling people she was there. By Ellis’ account Cardi B would begin to berate Emani Ellis by body shaming her, using racial slurs and even swung at her resulting in a cut on her eye and cheek from the nails Cardi B was wearing. Ellis maintained she did not harass the pregnant rapper, but was fired as a result of the incident. She would file the lawsuit against Cardi B two years later with Ellis initially requesting 24 million from the rapper for plastic surgeries she had done to repair her eye. Eventually the amount came to 250,000 for punitive and medical restitution. Ellis defends that her goal in suing was to hold the rapper accountable and that the money was of no consequence to her.
Cardi B’s assertion of what took place is that as she was entering her appointment and noticed Ellis was in the lobby recording her with her cellphone and began to follow her as she looked for a doctor. The defendant continues that the invasion of privacy led to a verbal altercation where the two would become chest to chest. A receptionist from the building and the doctor entered the lobby and they would testify to seeing Ellis corning Cardi B. Dr. Finke and receptionist Tierra Malcolm would put themselves between the two and both asserted that Ellis scratched Malcolm trying to get to the rapper. In Cardi B’s statement she admits to cursing and arguing, but maintains that she never touched or scratched Emani Ellis nor did the plaintiff touch her.
The case has not only gained notoriety for its famed defendant, but also from the unusual and unprofessional questioning and practices of Emani Ellis’ attorney. The attorney’s argumentative approach to cross examining Cardi B would ignite the character that has made her so famous. The attorney’s tactic to make Cardi B look hostile in front of the jurors would backfire and her witty retorts and irritability only served to make the defendant more relatable.
The jury found that there was not enough evidence that Cardi B did anything to harm the plaintiff and even less that Emani Ellis had been severely wounded as a result. On September 2, 2025 a California jury would unanimously find Cardi B not liable for assault. This is far from the first time a celebrity has gained notice for being involved in a lawsuit nor is it the first time that Cardi B herself has appeared in court.
On August 29, 2018 an altercation occurred between Cardi B and a bartender at the Angels Gentleman’s Club in Queens. According to witnesses Cardi B would accuse a female bartender of having an affair with her husband at the time, Offset. The fight ensued into Cardi B and the group she was with allegedly throwing bottles, chairs and hookah pipes at the two bartenders on shift at the time and would inflict injury. Cardi B wouldn’t appear in court until September 2022 when she would plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of third degree assault and reckless endangerment. She was given 15 days of community service. Later Cardi B remarked, “Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions.” Cardi’s previous assault charges and patterns of aggressive behavior may have made her vulnerable to fabricated accounts against her. More recently in July 2023 a fan at one of her concerts would throw a drink at her. The rapper responded by throwing her microphone at the assailant. This incident was never brought to court.
