Cardi B's Defamation Suit against Atlanta YouTuber Begins

All celebrities have internet trolls but there’s always one to take it a little too far. Latasha Kebe, known as unWinewithTashaK on YouTube is being accused of creating a “malicious campaign” against rapper Cardi B according to Insider.

Kebe had uploaded a few videos claiming Cardi had contracted herpes and abused drugs, Insider reported. Kebe went further, accusing Cardi of putting her at-the-time unborn child at risk of developmental disabilities as a result of drug use, according to Insider. Insider also found, according to the lawsuit, that Kebe had been accused of creating this content intentionally to build her viewership. If that’s how she reached one million subscribers, it sure did work.

Kebe denied ever doing so, but according to Billboard she tried to file a countersuit of $3 million claiming Cardi’s fans harassed her in retaliation. However, Billboard reported the judge threw out her case due to the lack of evidence of said ‘harassment.’ Well… we’ve seen the damage the Barbz and Beyhive can do. She should’ve kept her receipts.

From Billboard:

The trial is set to kick off Monday morning with jury selection; after that, the trial is expected to run for at least two weeks. It’s unclear if the star herself will take the witness stand. Cardi B will be represented by Lisa F. Moore and William A. Pequignot of the law firm Moore Pequignot LLC. Kebe will be represented by Sadeer Sabbak and Olga Izmaylova of Sabbak & Izmaylova PC.

Attorneys for Cardi B have a difficult road ahead, mainly because the First Amendment makes it difficult for famous people to sue for defamation. To win her case, the superstar must prove not just that Kebe’s statements hurt her reputation, but that the blogger acted with so-called actual malice — that she either intentionally lied or acted with a reckless indifference to the truth.

Billboard also reported Cardi filed this defamation suit back in 2019 and cited 38 videos uploaded by Kebe for reference. One of those posts included an oddly specific claim that during her dancing days, Cardi would masturbate with beer bottles on stage.

Kebe ended up winning a court order for Cardi’s medical records to be handed over to the judge on the STD claims, according to Rolling Stone. However, the records were deemed as “not helpful.”

Insider confirmed Kebe’s YouTube channel is still up and running though she hasn’t mentioned Cardi again within the past six months. YouTube’s terms of service states they don’t hold any responsibility for “the content submitted by any user, or for the defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of any user,’ according to Insider.

From Insider:

Kebe’s attorney Sadeer Sabbak urged jurors “not to make any judgment” without context, “because context is everything, especially in the media,” according to Law360. “Everyone is familiar with humor, everyone is familiar with opinion, and everyone needs context to appreciate that.”

In return, Cardi B’s lawyer Sarah M. Matz said, “Saying people have highly stigmatic diseases is not a joke,” and that Kebe “knows that statements like this, if false, are defamatory.”

Kebe’s motives for slamming Cardi are still unclear. She could either have genuine concerns about the A-list celebrity or just really despise her. Either way, trolls gon’ troll.