Cardi B appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday to reply to a civil lawsuit related to an encounter from 2018. The grievance was filed by safety guard Emani Ellis, who says she was attacked outdoors a Beverly Hills medical workplace whereas Cardi was pregnant along with her first baby. Ellis alleges the star spit on her, used racial language, and left a mark on her face along with her fingernails.

On the stand, Ellis described the incident as scary. She recalled recognizing the Grammy-winning artist and blurting out, “That’s Cardi B.” According to Ellis, the rapper then got here towards her in an aggressive method. “She touched my nose but scratched my cheek,” Ellis testified, including that the damage left her shaken.

Cardi B, whose authorized identify is Belcalis Almanzar, firmly rejected that account. According to ABC 7, talking outdoors of court docket, she informed reporters that “nobody touched” Ellis and insisted the altercation was purely verbal. Her protection crew argued that Ellis was trying to movie Cardi on her telephone as she walked into the physician’s workplace, regardless of the rapper being visibly pregnant on the time. Cardi’s legal professionals emphasised that she was merely defending her privateness throughout a delicate interval in her life.

Legal analyst Brian Buckmire defined the protection place: “But according to Cardi’s defense, there was no physical altercation, what was a 60- to 90-second verbal altercation with no physical violence.” During cross-examination, attorneys challenged Ellis’ credibility, pointing to what they stated have been contradictions in her earlier reviews. Questions have been raised about whether or not she was holding her telephone near her face or not, and whether or not she was touched on the nostril or scratched on the cheek.

The case names a number of claims, together with assault, battery, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional misery, and false imprisonment. Ellis is pursuing financial damages because the civil trial strikes ahead.