All of Cardi B’s Viral Moments from $24 Million Assault Trial: ‘I’m Pregnant. This Girl’s About to Beat My Ass. Hello?’

Cardi B’s civil lawsuit escalated this week during heated courtroom testimony.

The rapper, born Belcalis Almanzar, appeared in Los Angeles County Court in Alhambra, Calif., from Aug. 25–27 as part of a civil assault case. Security guard Emani Ellis filed the lawsuit in 2020, claiming Cardi assaulted her outside a Beverly Hills medical office in February 2018.

At the time, Cardi was pregnant with her first child. She has consistently denied the assault allegations, saying in court that she is being sued for $24 million. Cardi admitted only to a “verbal altercation,” insisting Ellis had been invading her privacy by recording her on video before an OB-GYN appointment.

Since taking the stand, Cardi’s fiery exchanges with Ellis’ attorney, Ron Rosen Janfaza, have gone viral for her blunt, expletive-filled answers and animated courtroom demeanor, complete with eye rolls, laughter, and shrugs.

During her Aug. 26 testimony, Rosen Janfaza appeared confused by her sudden wig change. “Yesterday you had black hair, short hair. Today it’s blonde and long. Which one is your real hair? Or are they both real?” he asked.

“They’re wigs!” Cardi replied, laughing, as the attorney admitted, “Sorry, I didn’t know that. It’s a good wig today then.”

That same day, Rosen Janfaza pressed Cardi on legal terms she admitted she didn’t fully understand. At one point, he asked, “When I’m talking to you now, are we having a verbal altercation?” Cardi shot back, “We’re having, I’ll say, a debate,” prompting laughter from the courtroom.

Cardi also described the 2018 incident, claiming Ellis followed her through a hallway until they were “chest-to-chest.” “I’m thinking to myself, ‘Girl is big!’” Cardi testified, adding that Ellis wore “big black boots” and looked intimidating.

When court resumed Aug. 27, the back-and-forth between Cardi and Rosen Janfaza intensified. Asked to repeat what she allegedly told Ellis during the altercation, Cardi quoted herself: “Bitch, get the f— out of my face. Why are you in my face? Why are you recording me? Ain’t you supposed to be security?”

Rosen Janfaza then challenged her to say it directly to Ellis in the courtroom, before Cardi’s lawyer objected. Cardi responded incredulously, “You want me to say it to her face?”

Later, her pregnancy at the time of the incident became central to questioning. When asked if she could have scratched Ellis’ face, Cardi replied, “But I didn’t — but I didn’t because I had a baby inside me.”

Pressed on whether she was “disabled,” Cardi said, “At that moment, when you’re pregnant, I’m very disabled. You want me to tell you things I can’t do?”

Her frustration grew as Rosen Janfaza questioned her fear during the altercation. “Because I’m pregnant! And this girl’s about to f—ing beat my ass! Hello?” she snapped, prompting the attorney to mimic her, “Hello. Hello.”

The discussion then turned to Ellis’ physical size. Cardi said Ellis was “absolutely” bigger than her. When Rosen Janfaza asked how she knew, Cardi gestured toward Ellis and replied, “I mean, look.”

The attorney pushed further, asking if she had ever called Ellis fat. “No,” Cardi clarified. “I was calling her a bitch.” She explained that Ellis was close to her height but had a build that looked “security heavy,” adding, “She just looks like she could protect a building… She just looks more developed than me.”

The trial is expected to conclude next week.