Judge Orders Tasha K To Pay $4M To Cardi B Or Secure Funding
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Judge William Ray ruled on Thursday (Oct. 13) that gossip blogger Tasha K (legally Latasha Kebe) must either immediately pay Cardi B the $4,000,000 million she’s owed from their defamation case. If unable, Kebe is ordered to secure finances covering the full amount, Billboard reports.
Cardi B (real name Belcalis Almánzar) sued Tasha K in 2019 over salacious videos published about the Bronx rapper online. Cardi’s lawyers made claims that Tasha’s intentions were fueled by a “malicious campaign” to damper the “Up” rapper’s reputation. Cardi’s legal reps also warned the Atlanta blogger to remove her videos multiple times, but she didn’t comply.
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After losing her defense, Tasha K is reportedly seeking to appeal the verdict. Per the outlet, Judge Ray said he would consider her overture if she could fulfill a “supersedeas bond” covering the entire amount. The common law feature is a type of surety bond that a court requires from an appellant who wants to delay payment of a judgment until an appeal is over.
On the flip side, if Tasha has her appeal denied, then that secured bond will automatically be overturned to Cardi.
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Cardi’s lawyers have been asking Tasha for the monies owed since last month.
“This is more than a hypothetical concern in this case,” Cardi’s attorney Lisa F. Moore wrote on Friday (Oct. 14). “During the litigation, Kebe bragged publicly that she had taken steps to insulate herself from a judgment. And there have been recent online reports that Kebe has moved from Georgia to avoid enforcement of the judgment.”
Claims of Tasha K insulating herself comes from public statements made by the blogger, alleging her whereabouts on Sept. 13. She posted a photo on Instagram with a caption alluding to the “motherland” as her “new home.”
“Life in Africa is turning out to be exactly what I needed.” she wrote. “A fresh start ! This week I will be releasing my first VLOG of my new life in Africa and showing you all our expanded family.”
Tasha K and Cardi B’s lawsuit stems from alleged statements by K that Cardi had contracted herpes, was a prostitute, a cheating wife, and a hard drugs user.
Following a trial held in January, jurors sided decisively with Cardi B, leaving Tasha liable for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Cardi and her team were awarded more than $2.5 million in damages and another $1.3 million in legal fees. Judge Ray later ordered Tasha to pull the videos from the internet.
Tasha appealed his judgment in September, claiming that Judge Ray withheld key details from jurors and called the trial “lopsided.”
As the 40-year-old has made it clear that she will continue appealing this case, it’s unclear if she will be able to actually pay what’s owed or secure a “supersedeas bond.” Tasha trolled her followers with an Instagram post earlier this month, where she claimed to have withdrawn her last $1,083 from her bank account.
