Cardi B Appears In Court, Security Guard Says Rapper Scratched Her Face

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Cardi B is seen arriving at court on August 26, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

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Key Takeaways:

Cardi B is on trial for allegedly assaulting Emani Ellis during a 2018 confrontation.
Ellis testified that Cardi B spit on her, mocked her weight, and scratched her face during a confrontation at a medical office.
Cardi’s legal team claims Ellis was the aggressor.

Cardi B was spotted in civil court in Los Angeles on Monday (Aug. 25). Former security guard Emani Ellis took the stand, accusing the Bronx rapper of spitting on her and scratching her face, among other allegations.

The “Imaginary Playerz” rapper was seated in court when Ellis took the stand to testify about when she first meet Cardi at a Beverly Hills obstetrician’s office in 2018. At the time, Cardi was reportedly four months pregnant at the time.

Back in 2020, Ellis filed a lawsuit against Cardi B, claiming the rapper spit on her and hit her in the head after an altercation while leaving a medical facility. Although Ellis is suing for assault, battery, and infliction of emotional distress, witnesses said that’s not exactly how it went down.

TMZ reports that Ellis claimed Bardi got into her face after allegedly overhearing her say, “Wow, that’s Cardi B,” as Cardi was leaving the doctor’s office. According to her testimony, Cardi was not pleased that her private medical visit was potentially being shared publicly. Ellis claimed that Cardi then took a “swing” at her while cursing her out, mocking her weight, and disparaging her job as a security guard.

Ellis further claimed that Cardi B scratched her cheek with a fingernail, which required plastic surgery. In her initial lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged Cardi had her fired, but on Monday she dropped that claim, testifying she was terminated for a HIPAA violation instead.

Cardi’s lawyer painted a different story in court. Rolling Stone reports that her attorney, Peter Anderson, told the jury, “Cardi B was facing someone, with all respect, who testified she was 240-250 pounds, wearing black military boots, hovering over her, yelling and screaming at her, taking swings at her, trying to get to her. There will be evidence that it was [Ellis] who yelled, ‘I will f**k your s**t up.’ That’s when someone intervened and dragged [Ellis] to an elevator and said, ‘You have to leave.’”

At the time of the incident, the public was not aware Cardi was pregnant with her first-born daughter, Kulture. Cardi is scheduled to testify Tuesday (Aug. 26).