Cardi B is about to get slapped with a civil lawsuit from several residents of Long Island, New York who claim they were defamed on social media simply because one of them was wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap.
Peter Caliendo, Pauline Caliendo and Manuel Alarcon are seeking at least $20 million U.S.
“We are not racist. We are not homophobes,” Peter Caliendo said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Our reputation is ruined. My reputation is our life. It’s my name.”
On Sept. 6, Cardi shared video posted online by her sister Hennessy Carolina that showed part of an altercation involving the trio and Carolina and her partner Michelle Diaz.
Cardi captioned the expletive-filled clip: “…my sister can’t go to the beach in the Hampton’s (sic) wit out trump supporters harassing cause they were by themselves & Santa Claus was harassing my sis GF all because they are a Afro/Hispanic gay couple.”
John Ray, a lawyer represented the beachgoers, told WABC that Carolina “suddenly approached them, raging, spitting, insulting, assaulting, defaming and threatening them, all the while videotaping them because one of them wore a MAGA hat.”
Ray alleged Cardi, Carolina and Diaz “deviously edited the videotape and published the edited version all over social media, across the world for all to see, and maliciously falsely labeled these residents and their families as ’n****s’ and as racists.”
In the clip, Carolina can be heard threatening to “beat the f**k outta you” and to assault a woman and her husband with a sex toy.
“Real threats of harm were made,” Ray said. “They live in fear now. Their reputations have been ruined.”
The lawsuit seeks damages for defamation as well as assault, battery, mental anguish and civil rights violations.
This article has been updated since it was first published.