Updated as of 3/22/2023 at 1:00 p.m.:
On Tuesday, YouTuber Tasha K lost her second appeal against the verdict in the 2022 defamation suit brought against her by Cardi B.
Per Billboard, a federal appeals court upheld the over $4 million verdict after K (legal name LaTasha Kebe) failed to “properly make that argument to the trial judge, meaning she forfeited the right to do so before an appeals court.”
After denying the second appeal, lawyers for the “Up” rapper released a statement in response to the development saying: “We’re obviously pleased that the Eleventh Circuit has affirmed the jury’s unanimous and important verdict, which we believe was more than amply supported by the evidence presented in the case.”
See the original story below.
If you thought the legal battle between YouTuber Tasha K and Cardi B. was over—think again!
Per Rolling Stone, it appears that Tasha has filed yet another appeal stemming from her loss of a defamation suit she faced earlier this year. In the 45-page opening brief, Tasha argues that the court’s verdict should be overturned for a myriad of reasons, including the fact that she believed Cardi had herpes when she made the untrue statement about her having the STD to her online viewers.
The appeal also argues that that “it’s impermissible to use a defendant’s hatred, spite, ill will, or desire to injure as evidence of actual malice.” Whether or not a judge will end up agreeing with Tasha on this second go-round remains to be seen, but what’s arguably unhelpful is the fact that lawyers who submitted said appeal say that they aren’t seeking the opportunity to raise the issue in court citing the fact that “the decisional process would not be significantly aided by oral argument.”
As previously reported by The Root, despite her best efforts, Tasha’s first appeal against Cardi’s $4.25 million defamation lawsuit was denied back in July. She and her legal team filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in June, citing evidence that was “erroneously ignored” by Judge William Ray. But the courts were unfortunately once again not on her side as her case was thrown out “without jurisdiction”—which means that the “Hot Shit” rapper can “have her lawyers and the sheriff’s office authorize the garnishment of Tasha’s wages and personal assets to fulfill the judgment.”