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Cardi B was back in court yet again to testify in another trial on her long list of legal battles. On Oct. 19, she appeared in court over a lawsuit filed by a man named Kevin Brophy, who sued her over her Gangsta B**** Music Vol. 1 mixtape cover. Brophy claimed that his tattoo was photoshopped on the back of a man on the cover, who is performing oral sex on Cardi B, without his permission.
During the trial, things got heated between the “Rumors” rapper and Brophy’s attorney, A. Barry Cappello, Billboard reported. The two got into an intense debate that led to U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney telling Cappello that he had crossed the line. At one point, the jurors were asked to leave the room. Judge Carney also threatened to declare a mistrial if Cappello and Cardi B didn’t settle down.
Cardi B Said She Felt Harassed By Brophy
Brophy is seeking $5 million over the alleged infringement. The Bronx rapper sounded off on the stand about how they have been going about collecting their funds. Brophy’s attorneys claimed that they sent her a cease-and-desist to have the tattoo removed from the cover but didn’t receive a response. Cardi B replied and said she felt this is more about a money grab than alleged infringement and that she never received the letter.
“This is not about taking anything down. Y’all have been harassing me for $5 million,” she told Cappello.
The cover for the 2016 mixtape was created by Timm Gooden. He was given $50 to create the artwork. While doing so, he googled “back tattoos,” saw Brophy’s and photoshopped it onto the back of the model on the cover.
“It’s not him,” she said about Brophy. “To me, it doesn’t look like his back at all. The tattoo was modified, which is protected by the First Amendment.”
Cardi B Doubts The Mixtape Art Negatively Affected Brophy
The former Love & Hip Hop star said she highly doubted that Brophy suffered any consequences from the cover. In the 2017 lawsuit, he claimed to be “devastated, humiliated and embarrassed.” He also said that the explicit cover art felt like a “complete slap in the face” and caused him “hurt and shame.”
“He hasn’t gotten fired from his job,” the mother-of-two continued. “He hasn’t gotten a divorce. How has he suffered? He’s still in a surf shop at his job. Please tell me how he’s suffered.”
This particular court date also caused her to miss a major moment with her son.
“I have empathy for people,” she shared according to Fortune. “I care about people. I feel like I’m being taken advantage of. I missed my child’s first step by being here.”
A verdict is expected by Friday, Oct. 21.
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