Cardi B won a key ruling ahead of her trial for allegedly assaulting a security guard at her OBGYN’s office in 2018, with a judge saying the guard can’t tell jurors about Cardi’s stripper past or previous legal troubles.
The ruling on Wednesday (July 30) comes as Cardi (Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar) is preparing to go to trial starting Aug. 11 in the assault and battery lawsuit brought by former Beverly Hills Medical Center security guard Emani Ellis. The case stems from an altercation at the center in 2018, when Cardi was four months pregnant and there to visit her OBGYN.
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Ellis says Cardi swung at her and struck her with long fingernails, cutting her face and causing scarring that required plastic surgery to repair. The rapper maintains that they only sparred verbally after she heard Ellis telling someone on the phone that Cardi was at the OBGYN’s office — a concern because, at the time, Cardi was endeavoring to conceal her pregnancy from the public.
With trial fast approaching, Los Angeles County Judge Ian C. Fusselman said in Wednesday’s order that it’s off-limits for Ellis to dig up dirt from Cardi’s past in front of the jury.
“Defendant’s prior acts and alleged prior acts, as well as prior involvement in exotic dancing or any gang associations, have no apparent probative value, and any references thereto would be unduly prejudicial and likely to confuse the jury and result in an undue waste of time,” writes the judge.
This means the jury won’t hear about Cardi’s prior life as a stripper — which she’s always been open about — or alleged connections to gang members, which she has denied. It also excludes mention of other so-called “prior bad acts,” including civil and criminal legal proceedings she’s faced.
In 2022, Cardi pled guilty to misdemeanor assault charges for throwing a bottle at a New York strip club years earlier. On the civil litigation front, she was sued just last week for throwing a microphone at a fan during a Las Vegas concert in 2023.
In addition to ruling these other matters inadmissible, Judge Fusselman’s ruling also says the August trial will be split into two phases. First, the jury will decide whether Cardi is liable for assault and battery, with a potential second phase to follow if monetary damages are on the table.
A legal rep for Cardi declined to comment on the matter Wednesday. Ellis’ attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
