A man demanded a new trial after losing a lawsuit to Cardi B.
Kevin Brophy claimed he didn’t get a fair trial in his case against Cardi B. Brophy sued the Atlantic Records rapper for misusing an image of his tattoos on the cover of her 2016 mixtape Gangsta B#### Music Vol. 1.
Brophy, who is white, said he was humiliated by the cover artwork. It featured a non-white model with Brophy’s back tattoos appearing to perform oral sex on Cardi B.
A freelance graphic designer found an image of Brophy’s tattoos on Google. The tattoos were photoshopped onto the model’s back without Cardi B’s knowledge.
Brophy sued Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, for $5 million. Jurors ruled in her favor after a four-day trial in October 2022.
A judge refused to overturn Cardi B’s victory in December 2022. Brophy’s lawyer argued for a new trial in a motion filed on Wednesday (January 25).
“Almanzar repeatedly engaged in theatrics, refused to answer basic questions, impermissibly disclosed privileged and confidential settlement communications, and generally acted with total disregard and disrespect for the jury’s time and formal nature of court proceedings,” Brophy’s attorney contended.
He continued, “The deliberate nature of Defendant’s strategy to undermine Plaintiff’s ability to present his case was exposed by a switch in demeanor that puts Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to shame. On direct from her own counsel, Almanzar provided lucid, direct and fully responsive answers to questions—answers which were allowed to remain unchallenged by virtue of the Court’s erroneous and summary denial of cross-examination.”
Brophy was ordered to pay Cardi B’s legal fees following his courtroom defeat. Her legal team will likely respond to his motion for a new trial in the coming weeks.
