Cardi B, also known as Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, will be awarded $350,000 in legal fees from a man in Orange County, California, who had accused her of appropriating his tiger tattoo for the cover of her 2016 mixtape. The resolution comes after an extended legal battle over the use of the tattoo on the “Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1” album cover.
Judge Cormac J. Carney ruled on Tuesday that Kevin Michael Brophy, the individual who sued Cardi B for copyright infringement in 2017, must pay the specified amount along with 10% annual interest. The agreement was initially reported by trial lawyer Meghann Cuniff.
The legal dispute involved Brophy seeking $5 million in damages, asserting that a modified image of the tiger from his tattoo, depicted on the album cover engaged in explicit content, had a detrimental impact on the value of his artistic creation. Brophy’s tattoo, crafted by artist Tim Hendricks over several months, became a focal point of the case.
Cardi B defended herself in court in October in Santa Ana, California. Her attorney argued that the album art fell within the realm of fair use, contending that Brophy did not suffer any harm from the case, and that the public did not associate the album cover with him.
While the judge initially sided with Cardi B, Brophy later sought a reevaluation, questioning the ruling. Ultimately, the judge upheld the jury’s decision, stating that it was reasonable to conclude that audiences would not mistakenly connect the man on Cardi B’s album art with Brophy.
In January, Brophy’s legal team filed a motion for a new trial, citing difficulties in adequately cross-examining Cardi B during the original trial. However, this motion was withdrawn as part of the recently reached agreement between the two parties.
