Cardi B Wins Sanctions Against Lawyer Who Asked About "Gang Affiliation" During Trial

Following her victory in an assault trial, Cardi B has successfully convinced a judge to sanction the opposing lawyer for raising questions about her alleged “gang affiliation.”

After jurors sided with Cardi B following a brief deliberation, and after the judge rejected the security guard’s request for a new trial, Los Angeles County Judge Ian C. Fusselman fined the guard’s lawyer, Ron A. Rosen Janfaza, $1,500. The penalty was issued due to Janfaza's questioning of Cardi about possible “gang affiliation” during her testimony last August.

Judge Fusselman's six-page decision stated that Janfaza violated a court order when he asked Cardi about gang affiliation during her Aug. 26 trial testimony. Before the trial, the judge had prohibited any mention of prior bad acts, including exotic dancing and alleged “former association with a gang or gang members during her youth.”

The judge's pre-trial ruling deemed such questions irrelevant to Emani Ellis’ claims that Cardi scratched her cheek with an acrylic fingernail during a 2018 altercation. He stated that these topics would be unduly prejudicial and confusing to the jury.

Despite the prior ruling, Janfaza asked Cardi, “Do you have any affiliation at this time with a gang?” Her lawyers objected, and the court cautioned Janfaza about violating the court’s ruling.

After Almánzar's victory, her lawyers sought to hold Janfaza in contempt for the gang question and for referencing evidence not presented during the trial. Janfaza claimed sleep deprivation, that his office manager drafted the questions, and that adding "at this time" circumvented the rule against mentioning “prior” bad acts.

Judge Fusselman dismissed these arguments, stating that Janfaza knowingly and intentionally violated the court’s ruling.

The judge ordered Janfaza to report the sanctions order to the California State Bar within 30 days and pay the $1,500 by Feb. 27. Janfaza did not respond to a request for comment.

The trial, which concluded on Sept. 2, saw jurors finding that Ellis failed to prove the rapper assaulted her on Feb. 24, 2018, after a heated confrontation outside a doctor’s office. Almánzar, secretly pregnant with her first child with Offset, believed Ellis was violating her privacy.

During her testimony, Almánzar insisted she never touched Ellis, claiming Ellis stalked her and initiated a “verbal altercation.”

Two defense witnesses supported Almánzar’s testimony. Dr. David Finke and receptionist Tierra Malcolm testified that Ellis appeared to be the aggressor and had a phone in her hand. Malcolm also stated that Ellis asked her to assist with an employment claim related to the incident, which she declined.

Shortly after winning the case, Almánzar released special “Courtroom Edition” CD covers for her sophomore album, Am I the Drama?, showcasing viral moments and hairstyles from the trial. This victory follows a $4 million jury verdict against celebrity gossip vlogger Tasha K and the dismissal of a libel lawsuit naming her and her sister, Hennessy, as defendants. Almánzar also won a federal trial regarding the use of a man’s back tattoo on her mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1.

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