Cardi B Released Without Bail as Orders of Protection Issued in Alleged Strip Club Bartender Attack
Shortly after receiving five Grammy nominations on Friday morning, Cardi B appeared in court on assault and reckless endangerment charges after a summons was issued in connection with a fight earlier this year at a strip club in Queens, New York.
The incident occurred in August, when bartenders Baddie Gi and Jade of Angel’s Strip Club claimed that Cardi ordered an attack on the women because she believed her now-estranged husband, Migos rapper Offset, had had an affair with one of them, according to the New York Times and TMZ. A police spokesperson told CNN that Cardi was allegedly “throwing chairs, bottles and hookahs in the club at 3 a.m.”
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Arriving at the New York courthouse amid a crush of photographers, TMZ reports the rapper jokingly asked, “Am I famous?”
The hearing proceeded quickly, with the judge issuing orders of protection for the alleged victims, according to the Associated Press. TMZ reports the rapper was warned to have no contact with either Baddie Gi or Jade, including comments or threats on social media, and was released without bail.
A lawyer for Cardi B did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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The rapper was previously scheduled to appear in court on Monday for a hearing, and was given a warning from the judge after failing to appear alongside her legal team, TMZ reported, adding that her lawyers, who had not been communicating with her directly, were only told Cardi had a conflict at the last minute.
According to the outlet, if Cardi failed to make an appearance on Friday, a warrant for her arrest would likely be issued.
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Cardi’s court date comes just two days after the rapper announced on Instagram that she and Offset were calling it quits after 15 months of marriage.
In the video, which has since been deleted, Cardi shared that although the pair “grew out of love” they’re still “really good friends and we are really good business partners.”
“We got a lot of love for each other but things just haven’t been working out between us for a long time,” she added. “It might take time to get a divorce and I’m going to always have a lot of love for him because he is my daughter’s father.”
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Hours later, the woman accused of coming between the pair, model Summer Bunni, issued a tearful apology to the “Taki Taki” rapper.
“I have not messed with Offset since he’s had his baby,” she claimed in a video sent to TMZ. “I didn’t know how serious this marriage was. A lot of girls would just deal with this situation and just be like, ‘Yo, I’m the reason they’re getting a divorce.’”
“I feel ashamed,” she continued. “It’s a lot, but just coming from me and to Cardi B and to our fans, to her family to her situation, these were never my intentions and I never wanted to break up a happy home.”
Adding to the drama, new details keep emerging about the ongoing feud between Cardi and Nicki Minaj.
Late last month, the “Barbie Dreams” rapper, 35, released a music video for her new single “Good Form” — and it featured a cameo from sisters Baddie Gi and Jade, the two bartenders at Angel’s Strip Club who claimed that Cardi ordered an attack on them.
Months earlier, Minaj also released a music video that featured Offset’s alleged mistress, Summer Bunni.
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In October, Cardi surrendered to police and was subsequently arrested, fingerprinted, had a mugshot taken and was charged with one count of assault and two counts of reckless endangerment, PEOPLE confirmed at the time.
“We’re aware of no evidence that she caused anybody any harm on that night,” the rapper’s attorney Jeff Kern told press outside the police station. “We expect that the matter is going to be resolved expeditiously.”
A lawyer for the alleged victims begged to differ.
Joe Tacopina, an attorney for the alleged victims, told PEOPLE in a statement: “Cardi B ordered and committed violent assaults against my clients, and is being called to justice for her crimes. Apparently, she thinks her celebrity status puts her above the law, since she has bragged to multiple people and on social media that she orchestrated these vicious attacks.”
