A group of group of jurors rule in favor of Cardi B in a lawsuit case involving a tattoo design used in on her debut 2016 mixtape.
Cardi B made her way back to the courthouse for another lawsuit case this year. This time the suit revolved around the cover art for the rapper’s 2016 mixtape “Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1”. On the cover, the artist can be seen drinking a bottle of Corona while receiving oral sex from a man with a distinctive lion and snake tattoo.
Turns out the tattoo is that of Kevin Brophy whose back tattoo was superimposed onto the model who is featured on the mixtape cover. Brophy is suing Cardi B for $5 million for likeness, misappropriation and distress/ “shame” he and his family experienced due to his tattoo being featured on the raunchy cover. In the trial, he describes the use of his tattoo as feeling like “digital molestation”.
A man is taking Cardi B to trial over his back tattoo being photoshopped onto another man for her debut mixtape cover.
While the back tattoo was reportedly obtained through Google Images, he is seeking millions in damages, claiming she humiliated and exploited his identity. pic.twitter.com/kISTePRFd5
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 17, 2022
Cardi B vehemently disagreed against this sharing; she did not see anything to showcase how he suffered from his tattoo on the cover.
“There is not one evidence where people believe it’s actually him,” she said in the courthouse. “He hasn’t gotten fired from his job. He hasn’t gotten a divorce. How has he suffered? … Please tell me how he’s suffered.”
She became even more upset throughout the trial as felt as though Brophy’s lawyer was insinuating and that cover art with the tattoo design was part of the reason for her success
“It’s really insulting to me as a woman that a man is claiming responsibility,” she says. “When it’s my voice that has made me famous since 2014. “And that’s what got me here, not Mr. Brophy’s portion of a tattoo,” she adds.
Due to the intensity of the back in forth between Cardi B and Brophy’s lawyer, the trial was briefly stopped. As the judge presiding over the case Cormac Carney found both of their exchanges “unprofessional” and “unproductive”. The trial was later resumed.
I just won this lawsuit …Im soo emotional right now 🥲…I wanna kiss Gods feet right now …..IM BEYOND GRATEFUL!!!!
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) October 21, 2022
Despite a circus of the trial, the rapper was able to come out on top as a group of jurors ruled in favor of Cardi B, believing that she had not infringed on Brophy’s likeness.