Earlier this month, we told you about Cardi B.’s libel suit against Atlanta YouTuber Tasha K.
In a legal battle spanning across nearly three years, on Monday, a jury found K, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, liable for “defamation, two other forms of wrongdoing, invasion of privacy through portrayal in a false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
Per Billboard, as a result of the two-week trial, the “Press” rapper is set to walk away with $1.25 million in damages. Additional proceedings are expected to take place on Tuesday to assess whether or not Kebe will have cough up more money for punitive damages and/or Cardi B.’s legal fees.
Billboard has more:
Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar, sued Kebe in 2019 over dozens of videos that contained shocking claims about the rapper. One video cited in the lawsuit includes a statement that Cardi B “f—ed herself with beer bottles on f—ing stripper stages.” Others said she had contracted herpes; that she had been a prostitute; that she had cheated on her husband; and that she had done hard drugs.
A trial kicked off on Jan. 10 in Georgia federal court, during which both women took the stand. Cardi B testified that she felt “suicidal” in the wake of Kebe’s videos, and said that “only an evil person could do that sh–.” Kebe initially admitted that she knowingly published lies about the rapper, but she later tried to walk back that statement when examined by her own attorneys.
Additionally, despite the jury’s findings, Kebe’s lawyer may have the opportunity to challenge the verdict in the weeks to come. After news of her loss became official, Kebe took to Instagram to send a message to her loyal fans and followers writing: “My husband, Attorney’s and 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.”
She added in a separate post, “I forgot to thank all of the viewers for all your support. In this business, this is part of the protocol. Everyone in my seat has been through this & this ain’t the last. This comes with the territory. See y’all Friday! It’s long overdue!”
Updated Tuesday, 1/26/22, at 10:00 a.m., ET: Remember those “additional proceedings” I mentioned earlier that could potentially cause Tasha K to cough up more money for to Cardi B. for more damages? Well that’s exactly what ended up happening! According to Variety, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper was awarded an additional $3 million for punitive damages and legal fees, bringing the total to a whopping $4.25 million.
Following Tuesday’s proceedings, Cardi stopped outside the Atlanta courthouse to thank the judge, her lawyers, fans and everyone else involved.
“So I just want to say, first off thank you to the jurors, you know. The jurors took time off their regular live, just like us, to be a part of this case and made a very fair and right decision,” the entertainer said in part, as captured by TMZ. “I just want to say thank you guys for keeping me strong because this was very hard for me. It put me in a lot of emotional distress. These past couple of years have been difficult for me, constantly reliving it. It was very hard for me.”