Cardi B wins almost £1m in damages in defamation case triumph

Rapper was subject to ‘malicious campaign to damage and destroy’ her reputation by US YouTuber

Rapper Cardi B has been awarded almost £1m in damages after being subjected to a “malicious campaign” of defamation by an American YouTuber.

The “WAP” singer became the target of Latasha Kebe, known online as Tasha K, who published a series of “slanderous and defamatory statements” about her.

On Monday (24 January) a jury in the state of Georgia found Kebe was liable for defamation, invasion of privacy, and for causing the singer emotional distress.

Kebe was ordered to pay a total of £927,437.50 to Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, documents obtained by the PA news agency show.

During the trial, the singer’s lawyers said Kebe had waged “a malicious campaign to damage and destroy [Cardi B’s] reputation among her fans and the consuming public”.

Kebe is the host of the YouTube channel UnWineWithTashaK, a “celebrity gossip site” with a million subscribers.

Lawyers for Cardi B said the platform was used for Kebe to “publish and spread malicious rumours, slanderous assertions, and false information about celebrities... for her personal financial gain”.

Cardi B

(Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

They said she had started making “degrading and harassing statements” in early 2018 and, at one point, claimed the singer “prostituted for a living”.

The comments and videos had caused Cardi B “embarrassment, humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional distress” her lawyers said.

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The singer is well known for other hits including “Thru Your Phone”, “I Like It” and “Bodak Yellow”, which appear on her 2018 album Invasion Of Privacy.

Additional reporting by Press Association