NEW YORK (NYTIMES) – A federal jury awarded rapper Cardi B US$1.25 million (S$1.6 million) in damages in a libel lawsuit towards a star gossip blogger who had posted movies in 2018 claiming that she was a prostitute who had contracted sexually transmitted infections and used cocaine.
Cardi B, whose actual identify is Belcalis Almanzar, had sued the celeb gossiper, generally known as Tasha Ok, in 2019 for posting greater than 20 movies that unfold “malicious rumours” concerning the rapper, in keeping with the lawsuit, which was filed in US District Courtroom for the Northern District of Georgia, the place Tasha Ok lives.
The jury discovered Tasha Ok, whose actual identify is Latasha Kebe, liable on two counts of slander and one rely every of libel and invasion of privateness, in keeping with a verdict filed on Monday (Jan 24).
Kebe had additionally posted in 2018 that Almanzar had herpes outbreaks in her mouth and that she would give delivery to a toddler with mental disabilities.
Almanzar, 29, testified in court docket this month that she “felt extraordinarily suicidal” after Kebe posted the movies, including that “solely an evil individual might do this,” Lisa Moore, a lawyer for Almanzar, mentioned on Monday.
Within the lawsuit, the rapper’s legal professionals mentioned that the content material would harm her popularity along with her followers and have an effect on her enterprise prospects.
Cardi B, a Grammy-winning rapper from the Bronx, New York, discovered fame in 2017 along with her music Bodak Yellow, which immortalised her propensity for making “cash strikes.”
Kebe’s claims have helped her amass thousands and thousands of views on Twitter, Instagram and her YouTube channel, unWinewithTashaK. Many of the content material can nonetheless be seen on-line, regardless that the rapper despatched Kebe a cease-and-desist letter just a few months after Kebe first posted about her in 2018, in keeping with the lawsuit.
Almanzar’s legal professionals mentioned Kebe was “obsessive about slandering” the rapper and that she posted the content material as a result of it bought extra views than her different posts, in keeping with the lawsuit. Almanzar’s legal professionals mentioned that the rapper was not a prostitute, had by no means had herpes and had by no means used cocaine.
Kebe’s legal professionals didn’t instantly reply to emails or telephone calls on Monday.
On Monday afternoon, Kebe mentioned on Twitter that “My Husband, Legal professional’s, & I fought actually laborious,” including, “it is solely up from right here.”
Almanzar had filed the lawsuit towards each Kebe and Starmarie Ebony Jones, a visitor on Kebe’s YouTube channel who had claimed to be a former pal of the rapper.