Cardi B Celebrates Beating Assault Case With NSFW Twerk Clip

Cardi B just walked out of court a free woman and straight onto Instagram to let everyone know exactly how she was celebrating. On Tuesday, a Los Angeles jury sided with the rapper, clearing her of assault in a $24 million lawsuit stemming from a 2018 altercation. The "WAP" hitmaker had been accused of spitting on security guard Emani Ellis, striking her, and even slashing her face with one of her trademark nails after Ellis allegedly filmed her outside a doctor’s office. Ellis filed the suit in 2020, setting off years of legal back-and-forth, but in the end, Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar, walked away victorious.

How did Cardi mark her big win? By doing what she does best... Putting on a show. On Wednesday, she posted an Instagram video wearing a polka dot blazer before stripping down to a thong and twerking for millions of followers. The clip doubled as a promo for her upcoming single "Bodega Baddie," and of course, Cardi ended it in pure Cardi fashion, slapping her famous backside and flipping off the camera with a huge grin.

Outside the courthouse, Cardi opened up about how draining the lawsuit had been. “It’s been really tough,” she admitted, noting that Tuesday also happened to be her children’s first day of school, time she had to miss because of the trial.

The rapper also promised she’s done playing nice with opportunistic lawsuits. “The next person to try to do a frivolous lawsuit against me, I’m going to countersue and I’m going to make you pay, because this is not OK,” she warned. “People have this misinterpretation of celebrities, like, ‘Oh, well, we can ask for this, and they’re going to settle…’ Don’t you ever think that you’re going to sue me and I’m just going to settle and just give you my money. It’s not going to happen.”

Following the verdict, Emani Ellis, the former security guard who brought the $24 million lawsuit, also spoke out and shared her reaction with reporters. “I don’t think that it reflects the truth, but I’m not disappointed,” Ellis said, suggesting the jury’s decision did not match her version of events. “We know that the justice system is sometimes flawed, and unfortunately that was the case for me.”

Ellis added that, for her, the case had always been about “accountability.” She continued, “I had my day in court, I showed up, I held my head high.”

But before Cardi could celebrate with a victory dance, her fate rested in the hands of the jury and the fiery closing arguments that capped off the trial. “Plaintiff advanced on Cardi, screaming and yelling, forcing Cardi backwards,” Cardi’s attorney Peter Anderson argued. He suggested Ellis had intentionally sought out the star, claiming she knew the rapper would be at the obstetrician’s office that day and was “lying in wait” in hopes of photographing and filming her.

Anderson also downplayed Ellis’s injuries, pointing out inconsistencies in her testimony. “She did not know if the scratch that supposedly ruined her life was even bleeding. What did she do? She claims that Cardi mauled her, basically, cut her face, and what did she do? She went home and took a nap. That was her own testimony.”

Cardi’s attorney Peter Anderson told jurors that the rapper had done nothing wrong beyond trying to shield herself and her unborn child. “She did not do anything wrong, except try to protect her baby and get to a doctor,” he argued, before adding, “Arguing, yelling, even using profanity, is not something you can sue over. That’s just part of normal life.”

Cardi herself testified that the clash happened while she was four months pregnant with her first child. She explained she was walking through a Beverly Hills obstetrician’s office when Ellis, who worked in the building, began following her and recording her with a cellphone. The "Bodak Yellow" rapper flatly denied that things ever turned physical, but admitted she did call Ellis a “b-tch” in the heat of the moment.

The trial itself was nothing short of wild. At one point, Cardi even hurled a pen at a reporter who asked if she was pregnant.

As The Blast previously reported, the 32-year-old immediately yelled, “That’s for disrespecting me. Don’t disrespect me." When the reporter kept pressing, Cardi fired back again. “You’re disrespectful. Don’t do that. Do you see women asking those type of questions to me? Do you see women asking those questions to me?” she shouted, her frustration on full display.

With her album "Am I the Drama?" dropping September 19, Cardi’s courtroom victory clears the way for her to get back to business, and if her victory twerk is any sign, she’s more than ready to move on.