Cardi B emerges victorious in civil trial against security guard Emani Ellis, who claimed the rapper scratched her face outside a Beverly Hills doctor's office three years ago.
The Los Angeles County Judge Ian Fusselman denied Ellis' request for a new trial, finding no basis to overturn the unanimous verdict that found Cardi B not liable for the alleged incident. The judge rejected Ellis' claim that two eyewitnesses should have been barred for late disclosure and dismissed the argument that jurors were "intimidated" by Cardi after she threw a pen outside the courthouse.
The security guard, Emani Ellis, had claimed that when Cardi B was leaving a doctor's office in Beverly Hills, where she was being treated for her first pregnancy with Offset, she intentionally scratched her face with an acrylic fingernail. However, the jury rejected this claim, and now Judge Fusselman has upheld their decision.
In his ruling, Judge Fusselman noted that Ellis' lawyer had tried to get a jury instruction about the incident that would have ensured jurors learned of it. However, he argued that if anything, jurors might have viewed the incident as supporting Ellis' claims rather than frightening them.
Cardi B's lawyers had previously claimed that the pen "hit no one" and that any suggestion that jurors might have been intimidated was hearsay. The judge agreed with this assessment, saying that it would have tended to help Ellis' case rather than hurt it.
The incident occurred outside a Beverly Hills doctor's office in 2018, where Cardi B was being treated for her first pregnancy with Offset. Video footage shows Cardi B throwing the pen to the ground after YouTube vlogger Donat Ricketts shouted questions at her about her rumored pregnancy. At the time, Cardi B had not announced that she was expecting.
The trial was a highly publicized case that sparked debate on social media. In his ruling, Judge Fusselman said that while he allowed the defense to add two witnesses to Ellis' proposed list, Ellis was also allowed to add names to her own list despite an initial cut-off.
Judge Fusselman also made it clear that he planned to sanction Ellis' lawyer Ron Rosen Janfaza for his conduct during the trial. The judge argued that Rosen Janfaza repeatedly claimed to jurors that Ellis had met a psychologist face-to-face, even though there was no evidence of this ever happening.
Cardi B's lawyers have previously released special "Courtroom Edition" CD covers for her sophomore album, showcasing her viral moments and hairstyles from the trial. This latest victory marks another win in one of Cardi B's several high-profile cases.
The Los Angeles County Judge Ian Fusselman denied Ellis' request for a new trial, finding no basis to overturn the unanimous verdict that found Cardi B not liable for the alleged incident. The judge rejected Ellis' claim that two eyewitnesses should have been barred for late disclosure and dismissed the argument that jurors were "intimidated" by Cardi after she threw a pen outside the courthouse.
The security guard, Emani Ellis, had claimed that when Cardi B was leaving a doctor's office in Beverly Hills, where she was being treated for her first pregnancy with Offset, she intentionally scratched her face with an acrylic fingernail. However, the jury rejected this claim, and now Judge Fusselman has upheld their decision.
In his ruling, Judge Fusselman noted that Ellis' lawyer had tried to get a jury instruction about the incident that would have ensured jurors learned of it. However, he argued that if anything, jurors might have viewed the incident as supporting Ellis' claims rather than frightening them.
Cardi B's lawyers had previously claimed that the pen "hit no one" and that any suggestion that jurors might have been intimidated was hearsay. The judge agreed with this assessment, saying that it would have tended to help Ellis' case rather than hurt it.
The incident occurred outside a Beverly Hills doctor's office in 2018, where Cardi B was being treated for her first pregnancy with Offset. Video footage shows Cardi B throwing the pen to the ground after YouTube vlogger Donat Ricketts shouted questions at her about her rumored pregnancy. At the time, Cardi B had not announced that she was expecting.
The trial was a highly publicized case that sparked debate on social media. In his ruling, Judge Fusselman said that while he allowed the defense to add two witnesses to Ellis' proposed list, Ellis was also allowed to add names to her own list despite an initial cut-off.
Judge Fusselman also made it clear that he planned to sanction Ellis' lawyer Ron Rosen Janfaza for his conduct during the trial. The judge argued that Rosen Janfaza repeatedly claimed to jurors that Ellis had met a psychologist face-to-face, even though there was no evidence of this ever happening.
Cardi B's lawyers have previously released special "Courtroom Edition" CD covers for her sophomore album, showcasing her viral moments and hairstyles from the trial. This latest victory marks another win in one of Cardi B's several high-profile cases.
omg can u believe it? cardi b is finally free from all that drama!!! i mean, who tries to say she scratched some security guard on purpose tho? 
anyway, the judge was like "nah" to the security guard's claim and upheld the unanimous verdict. i'm just here for cardi's team winning and cardi being able to move forward with her life 
. and btw, those courtroom edition cd covers were EVERYTHING 
so I'm not surprised that Cardi B won this case lol. Like, who wouldn't want to sue a security guard for claiming you scratched them when you didn't? 
but at the same time, if you're going to sue someone, you gotta have some solid evidence, right? 
this whole thing was just about her trying to get attention and cash in on the situation 
cardi b's lawyers were totally right when they said that jurors might have viewed those late-disclosed eyewitnesses as supporting ellis' claims rather than scaring them 
it's crazy how some people can try to fabricate stories like that 
anyway, cardi b's still slaying and this win is just another notch in her belt 
.
Like, you try to throw some shade in the courtroom and see how far it gets you 
cardi b was already pregnant with offset and she had no reason to scratch anyone's face lol. judge fusselman made the right call btw, ellis' lawyer was being super shady too, trying to get jurors intimidated by cardi b's presence 
i'm so glad cardi b won this case, it's just another example of her strength and resilience 
can u believe cardi b won this case? like, i mean i feel bad 4 Emani Ellis but the jury spoke loud & clear! 2x she said she was attacked by Cardi & not 1 single witness came forward 2 contradict her 
. She must've been outta her mind thinkin' them two witnesses shoulda been barred for late disclosure... guess the judge saw right through that 
!
. It's also interesting to note how Cardi B's lawyers skillfully argued against Ellis' lawyer's attempts to manipulate the jurors, using the pen-throwing incident as evidence of intimidation rather than intimidation itself 
. This case is another example of how celebrities can navigate complex legal systems and come out on top 
oh man, can you believe that Emani Ellis thought she could take down Cardi B like this? I mean, come on, a security guard trying to sue someone for allegedly scratching her face is just ridiculous 
. And now Judge Fusselman is giving her lawyer a piece of his mind too 
. That's the kind of justice we need more of in cases like this.
. This just proves that she's strong and can handle anything that comes her way 
. And now she gets to celebrate with her fans and release some new music 
and now shes walking away with this civil trial 
it just goes to show how much more publicized things are nowadays, and sometimes that's all it takes for someone to come out on top 
!
not just some weak claims about someone scratching your face. and btw, who tries to get new jury instructions in the middle of a trial? sounds like a total last-minute attempt to salvage a losing case 
Cardi B was literally shaking in those courtroom heels, and now she's finally outta this mess. And honestly, I feel bad for Emani Ellis - girl seemed pretty unstable from the get-go. 
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, it sounds like she was really hurt in that incident outside the doctor's office 
. And can you believe Ellis' lawyer kept saying she met with a psychologist in person when that never happened 
. Anyways, Cardi B must be so relieved and grateful that this trial is finally over 
like she knew that guard was trying to lie on her so good! i love how the judge shut down ellis' lawyer for trying to scare the jury with that whole psychologist thing lol what a waste of time. and can we talk about how cardi b's team is serving up them courtroom edition covers tho? 
I mean who scratches someone just because they got a pen thrown at 'em? 
Cardi B threw that pen and she was the one in the spotlight, like why would anyone think it's her fault? 