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Cardi B is facing a civil lawsuit stemming from an onstage incident that occurred in the summer of 2023 during a performance in Las Vegas.
The plaintiff, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filed a complaint this week alleging assault, battery, and negligence against the Grammy-winning rapper.
According to the lawsuit, the incident took place at Drai’s Beachclub, located at The Cromwell hotel, during a daytime party.
The plaintiff claims that Cardi B (born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar) encouraged the crowd to throw water on her due to extreme heat.
The lawsuit states that Cardi ‘verbally requested that the audience splash her with water.’
However, after a member of the audience threw a cup containing liquid and ice toward the stage, the artist allegedly responded by throwing her micorophone, causing the audience member ‘severe emotional distress, shock, humiliation, and physical injury.’
Video footage of the incident circulated widely online at the time, showing Cardi B reacting after being splashed during her performance.
(Picture: @j_blizzyy/CEN)
The video shows a fan right at the front of the crowd throwing a beer at the rapper, and after a short, shocked pause, Cardi hit back.
She hurled the microphone into the crowd and then appeared visibly shaken and furious as the backing track continued without her.
Security can be seen reacting as Cardi attempted to regain her composure on stage, flicking her hair off her face.
Cardi B was investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 2023 in connection with the same incident.
However, following that inquiry, authorities declined to pursue criminal charges: This afternoon we were notified by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. that as a result of their investigation, there will be NO charges against Cardi,” attorneys Drew Findling, David Chesnoff, and Richard Schonfeld said in a joint statement to TMZ at the time.
‘On behalf of Cardi, we appreciate the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept’s diligent and prompt resolution of this matter.’
Despite the conclusion of the criminal investigation, the civil suit – filed two years after the event – now brings the matter back into the spotlight.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Cierra N. Norris, is expected to hold a press conference in Las Vegas on Thursday to discuss the case.
As of now, Cardi B has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Cardi isn’t the only celebrity to have faced the rising trend, which sees audience members launch items on stage to hit whoever they came to see – something that left Bebe Rexha battered and bruised, and Harry Styles doubled over in pain.
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