Cardi B just scored another legal victory that makes her victory in the courtroom even sweeter.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles Judge Ian Fusselman fined security attorney Ron Rosen Janfaza $1,500 for asking the rapper about gang affiliations during his trial. The judge called it a “willful violation” of the court order, Rolling Stone reported.
Janfaza represented Emani Ellis in her failed assault lawsuit against Cardi. But he crossed a line when he asked his star on the witness stand: “Are you involved in any way with gangs now?”
The judge has banned any mention of Cardi’s past, including her involvement in bloody incidents during her time in the South Bronx.
Gianfaza knew the rules, but asked anyway.
“This was no accident. It was not the result of inexperience or stress,” Judge Fusselman wrote in his ruling. “This was a knowing and willful violation of the court’s ruling.”
Gianfaza tried every excuse in the book. He claims his office manager inserted the question into his outline. He said he was inexperienced and sleep-deprived. He even claimed he had made more serious mistakes in other trials with impunity.
The judge didn’t buy it. He called Janfaza’s explanations “inconsistent and contradictory.” The penalty caps a brutal lawsuit by Ellis and her legal team.
Back in September, it took a jury less than an hour to dismiss her assault charge against Cardi. The case centers on an incident that occurred at a Beverly Hills gynecologist’s office in 2018, when Cardi was four months pregnant.
Ellis claims Cardi cursed at her, spat on her and scratched her cheek with an acrylic nail, requiring plastic surgery. But Cardi testified that she never touched Ellis and was only upset that guards recorded her while she was trying to keep her pregnancy a secret.
The jury was shown photos of Cardi’s square nails that week – less than an inch long and unable to cause the alleged damage. After the mistrial, Ellis attempted a new trial in December. She claimed Cady threw a pen at reporters outside the court to “intimidate” jurors.
Judge Fusselman also rejected that claim, calling the argument “unpersuasive.”
After her win in September, Cardi warned against future “frivolous” lawsuits being filed on the courthouse steps.
“I work hard for my children and the people I care for, so don’t think you’re going to sue me and I’m going to settle and give you my money,” she said. “That’s not going to happen.”
Now her career is moving forward.
Cardi is gearing up for her Little Miss theater tour, which kicks off on February 11 in Palm Desert, California. The 30-date arena tour is in support of her second album Am I a Drama? ” and will be held in Atlanta on April 17.
The tour marks her first major solo tour since 2016 and the first time she’s headlined an entire venue. She has played in major venues such as Madison Square Garden, the United Center and State Farm Arena.
