Rapper Cardi B is currently seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against her by Giovanni Arnold, who claims she instigated an attack against him after her unsuccessfully tried to get an autograph from her.
The incident in question took place following the 2018 Met Gala, held annual in New York City. When Giovanni, 28, approached Cardi and her entourage to request an autograph, he alleges he was subsequently beaten by her security team as she was rushed away. However, new court documents reveal that Cardi is denying she instigated the attack. The musician says she had no direct involvement in the incident and wants the case thrown out, Daily Mail reports.
TMZ released video footage of the encounter, which shows Giovanni approaching Cardi B as she walked alongside her now-husband, Offset, as they left the Mark Hotel in New York City in the early morning. The clip ends with three security guards on top of the autograph seeker. Other footage, which has been released to the public, shows Giovanni later taken to a local hospital via stretcher. At the time, he was complaining of back and neck pain.
Daily Mail notes that the New York Police Department originally investigated it as an assault case. However, since no charges were filed, the case was eventually closed the following year.
In the court documents, Cardi argues that the most incriminating thing in the video is something Giovanni says himself. “Please beat me up,” he can be heard saying in the background of the video. “I’ll take all of your money.” The “Bodak Yellow” singer claims that the three security guards who ended up tackling Giovanni didn’t work for her, so she cannot be held responsible. In fact, she’s accused Giovanni of launching the lawsuit to get money from her.
Giovanni said he feared for his life during the incident and was specifically worried that Cardi B was going to physically attack him. However, TMZ argues this would’ve been unlikely, as Cardi was seven months pregnant at the time. She later gave birth to her and Offset’s first child together, daughter Kulture Kiari, several months later in July 2018.
It’s unclear how much Giovanni is seeking in damages. However, Giovanni is also suing Cardi’s husband Offset albeit in a different lawsuit. As such, Cardi’s dismissal of the allegations only applies to herself. So far, the celebrity’s team has not commented on Offset’s involvement in the incident.
Sources: TMZ, Daily Mail,