Cardi B had a big win in court.
According to court documents obtained by ET, the 29-year-old rapper was awarded a total of $1.25 million in damages by a federal jury in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, after they found YouTuber Latasha Kebe, who goes by the name of Tasha K, guilty on the claims of defamation, false light, and emotional distress.
Cardi received $1 million in general damages and $250,000 in medical expenses, for a total of $1.25 million. Cardi’s legal costs of $1,338,753.47 will also have to be covered by Tasha bringing the total to nearly $3 million.
Cardi filed her lawsuit in 2019, accusing Kebe of attempting to defame her with dozens of YouTube videos where she made salacious allegations, including that Cardi has herpes.
“After almost four years of repeated libel and slander against me, being able to walk away from this victorious brings me great happiness. I appreciate Judge Ray for conducting a fair and impartial trial,” she told People.
Adding, “I am grateful for the jury and their careful deliberation over the past two weeks. I am profoundly grateful for the hard work and support from my legal team. Most importantly, thank you to my family and close friends who held my hand and helped me get the support I needed during this experience.”
“I thought I would never be heard or vindicated and I felt completely helpless and vulnerable,” Cardi added. “I have never taken for granted the platform that my fame allows me to have, which is why for over three years I dedicated every resource I had to seek justice.”
“The only difference between me and the high schooler who is being cyberbullied and lied on by their classmates is the money and resources I have access to,” she said. “We collectively have to say enough is enough. We can no longer be a society that turns a blind eye to blatant lies. The unchecked behaviour and provably false content on platforms like YouTube have to be addressed and removed. The constant harassment and lies that are reported as factual from journalists and bloggers have to end.”
Cardi concluded, “So while I am very grateful that this trial has come to its conclusion and the jury has rendered a powerful and substantial message, literally–I really hope that my experience forces all of us, but especially the platforms who allow this behaviour to be a part of their communities, to re-think what moves us forward as a society versus what cripples us.”
Last week, the “Up” rapper took the stand and revealed in federal court that allegations made by Kebe caused her to feel “extremely suicidal.” According to Billboard, Cardi testified that she felt “helpless” after Kebe repeatedly continued to make false claims to her nearly one million YouTube followers. As a result, Cardi testified that she developed fatigue, anxiety, weight loss and migraines over the ordeal.
“Only an evil person could do that s**t,” Cardi said, with Billboard noting that the rapper apologized to the judge for her language. Additionally, the magazine reported that the artist told jurors that despite her tough upbringing — which included poverty, homelessness and physical abuse — she had never felt suicidal until Kebe’s claims surfaced, which resulted in her having to see a therapist.
Cardi, who has vehemently denied that she has herpes, also testified that Kebe’s herpes claim spilled into her comments section on Instagram, after users questioned in a post whether it was appropriate for her to kiss her daughter, Kulture, on the lips.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
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