Cardi B recently won her libel lawsuit against YouTuber Latasha Kebe — and she’s now sharing her thoughts on her big legal win.
It was reported that a federal jury found Latasha liable on the claims of defamation, emotional distress, and false light, and awarded Cardi B the amount of $1.25 million in damages on Monday (January 25). The lawsuit was filed by Cardi back in 2019. She accused Latasha of attempting to defame her with plenty of YouTube videos in which Latasha dropped ‘salacious’ allegations.
Among those allegations were that Cardi had herpes, which Cardi has denied.
When she was testifying in court, Cardi stated that the allegations made by Latasha led to her feeling “helpless” and “extremely suidical.”
Following the ruling in her favor, Cardi released a statement to ET, where the rapper said:
“I appreciate Judge Ray for conducting a fair and impartial trial. 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.”
Cardi went on to take about what she refers to as the “darkest time” in her life:
“During this trial, all of you have learned about the darkest time in my life. That moment in time was fueled by the vile, disgusting, and completely false narratives that were repeatedly and relentlessly being shared online.
I thought I would never be heard or vindicated and I felt completely helpless and vulnerable.”
She stated the importance of seeking justice has been to her:
“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.
And not just justice for me. The truth is that the intentional harm that was done to me, is done to countless others every day. 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.”
Cardi continued by reinforcing how everyone should all collectively “say enough is enough”:
“We can no longer be a society that turns a blind eye to blatant lies. The unchecked behavior 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.”
And she also highlighted the power that social media wields, both the good and the bad:
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen how social media platforms were able to bring important and necessary conversations to the forefront — such as Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, and Women’s Rights.
However, we’ve also seen countless stories of children and adults deciding to take their own lives due to cyberbullying and intentional attacks.
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 behavior to be a part of their communities, to re-think what moves us forward as a society versus what cripples us.”
