Rap star Cardi B is denying she lied to a judge under oath so she could roll to Fashion Week in Paris instead of preparing for a court battle with a guy who claims she stole his tattoo and ruined his life.
Kevin Michael Brophy and his lawyers hit the roof after Cardi popped up at a series of high-profile events in Paris.
Brophy accused the “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker of flat-out lying to the judge just so she could jet off to Paris instead of going to trial.
In a new letter obtained by AllHipHop, Cardi wrote to the judge again – and insisted she had no clue she was going to Paris when she submitted her sworn declaration asking to push back the original trial date of October 26.
“This was the only trip I have taken since the birth of our son on September 4, 2021. I was of course, very concerned with, and made thorough arrangements for, the well-being and care of our children in our absence,” Cardi B explained. “During our absence, our three-year-old daughter and our newborn son stayed with my mother and a baby nurse for our son, in New York. Both children were and remain in perfect health.
“In terms of traveling, my greatest concern was the welfare and health of my newborn son, and I absolutely agreed with my doctor’s strong advice that my son not be subjected travel at such a young age, in this time frame,” Cardi B continued. “That is why, when my husband and I made the brief trip to Paris, we were only able to do so because I could leave my son and daughter, for those few days, in New York the care of my mother and a baby nurse, and in close proximity to the pediatricians if the need arose. I could not do that for an extended trip to California during October.”
Cardi B has been fighting with Kevin Michael Brophy for years. He is suing her for $5 million.
Brophy insists Cardi stole his distinctive back tattoo of a tiger and a snake and super-imposed it on another model, who is giving Cardi oral sex on the risque cover for her mixtape “Gangsta B#### Music Vol. 1.”
Last month, the judge overseeing the case unexpectedly cleared his calendar and set the trial date for October 26.
However, Cardi wrote to the judge asking for the date to be pushed back, since she gave birth to her son on September 4.
The rapper said she was worried about catching COVID if she traveled from New York to California so soon after giving birth. Cardi also needed the extra time since she is gearing up for a court battle with Tasha K. in November.
The judge granted Cardi B’s request and postponed the trial until February 1, 2021, much to the dismay of Kevin Michael Brophy and his lawyers.
They wanted the trial to take place before the end of 2021.
Cardi told the judge she had no plans to travel, perform or attend any public events through the end of November – until the opportunity to attend Fashion Week popped up.
Cardi B, born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzarr, told the judge she decided to attend Fashion Week on September 24 – after receiving an invitation from French designer Thierry Mugler.
The rapper and her husband Offset went to Paris from September 26 until October 4, and they both tested negative for COVID upon their return to the United States.
View this post on Instagram
According to Cardi, the chance to attend Paris Fashion Week was good for her career, and she could not pass up the opportunity.
“I have had the good fortune to become identified almost as much for fashion as for my music, and the opportunity to be part of the ‘inner circle’ of the elite of the fashion world, representing some of the most famous designers’ work,” Cardi B gushed. “[It] was a rare opportunity, and important for my career, especially given my absence from live performance over most of the last two years due to the pandemic and the fact that I have been working on a new, upcoming album.
“I fully understand that our going to Paris for such a major event could lead someone to assume it all ‘must have been’ a long time in the planning, and well-known far in advance, but it was not that at all,” Cardi B added. “My Declaration of September 10, 2021, was entirely truthful, I concealed nothing, and the opportunity to go to Paris did not even first come to my attention until a couple of weeks later.”