Cardi B was awarded $1.25 million Monday by a jury that agreed with her lawsuit against celebrity blogger Tasha K for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Tasha K, whose given name is Latasha Kebe, had spread false allegations that Cardi B had herpes, used cocaine and worked as a prostitute.
Cardi B had testified that seeing the false statements on YouTube sent her into extreme anxiety and depression and made her feel “extremely suicidal,” according to Billboard.
It made her feel utterly hopeless, a courtroom source told Rolling Stone. “Only an evil person could do that s—,” she said.
Cardi B had filed a lawsuit in 2019 after Kebe posted dozens videos with those and other “shocking” false statements, such as the one in which Cardi B allegedly “f—ed herself with beer bottles on f—ing stripper stages,” Rolling Stone reported.
“None of the aforementioned statements about plaintiff are true. Plaintiff was never a prostitute or a user of cocaine. Plaintiff has never, and does not now, have herpes, nor has she had herpes outbreaks on her mouth,” her lawsuit stated, according to Rolling Stone.
The verdict came after a two-week federal trial in a Georgia courtroom.
More damages could be forthcoming, since more hearings will determine whether Kebe owes punitive damages and legal fees for her accuser.
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