Cardi B has won the right to recover trial costs following her court victory over security guard Emani Ellis, who accused her of assault.
Ellis previously alleged that Cardi had assaulted her in a hallway of a Beverly Hills obstetrician’s office, which the rapper attended while attempting to conceal a pregnancy in 2018. In court, Cardi told jurors she made an effort to hide the medical visit because she didn’t want to announce she was expecting her first child with Offset at that time, but claimed Ellis was recording her and blew her cover.
While she admitted that the pair got into a “verbal altercation”, she denied that she assaulted Ellis, who alleged her cheek was cut with a three-inch nail and she was spat on, leaving her “deeply traumatised”.
Last year, after deliberating for less than an hour, the jury came to a quick verdict in the rapper’s favour. Following that legal victory, on Thursday (March 26), a Los Angeles judge ruled that Cardi can recover nearly $20,000 (£15,000) in trial fees.
Cardi B steps out in traffic to promote Court Editions of her upcoming album ‘AM I THE DRAMA?’ pic.twitter.com/gAxbp4lx86
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 4, 2025
Per Rolling Stone, Ellis had tried to get the legal tab tossed out, claiming the ‘Invasion of Privacy’ rapper waited too long to seek reimbursement, saying her submitted bill was “a sham.”
However, the judge that oversaw the trial wrote a ruling ahead of a hearing on Thursday calling the costs not just timely, but “necessary” to the defense Cardi mounted.
The court then adopted the judge’s tentative ruling, and said the five-figure sum was “reasonable” to cover Cardi’s costs for “filing and motion fees, jury fees, deposition costs, costs for service of process, court reporter fees, model costs and photocopies.”
Ellis and her attorney, Ron Rosen Janfaza, had been fighting to avoid paying the fees since November.
Judge Fusselman rejected Ellis’ motion to dodge the sum, ruling that her “unevidenced and legally untethered bad faith argument” against Cardi was non-persuasive. The court additionally ruled that Cardi and her attorney actually provided “substantial evidence in its opposition.”
“This time around, I’m gonna be nice, but the next person that try to do a frivolous lawsuit against me — I’m going to countersue, and I’m gonna make you pay because this is not okay,” Cardi said following the September ruling in her favour.
“I work hard for my money for my kids and for people I take care of, so don’t you ever think that you gonna sue me, and I’m just gonna settle and just give you my money. It’s not gonna happen.”
Cardi B is currently on the road for her ‘Little Miss Drama Tour’, which continues tonight (March 28) at Newark’s Prudential Center.
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