The long-running “tattoo lawsuit” against Cardi B will face a jury trial this fall, roughly three years after its submission to a California federal court.
Judge Cormac J. Carney recently confirmed an updated date for the legal showdown between Cardi B and Kevin Brophy Jr., and DMN obtained an exclusive copy of the court filing.
The already-delayed trial date has been pushed back two more months, from August 11th until October 13th. A pretrial conference will commence eight days before the latter date, with discovery motions, settlement proceedings, and other motions slated to take place between August and September.
At the time of this writing, neither Cardi B nor Atlantic Records had released a public statement addressing the October trial date. However, Cardi B previously voiced her opinion of the complaint during a deposition, calling Brophy Jr.’s allegations “bulls—.”
The lawsuit – widely regarded as one of the music industry’s strangest – centers on the back tattoo of the male model (Toronto’s The6atSix) featured on the cover of Cardi B’s debut mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1.
Specifically, the mixtape’s cover (see below) shows a shirtless The6atSix in a compromising position with Cardi B, and consequently, his all-encompassing back tattoo is on full display.
Plaintiff Kevin Brophy Jr., the owner of a similar back tattoo, alleges that his reputation has been harmed because of the mixtape cover. More broadly, Brophy Jr. maintains that he’s having a harder time at his surf-related job, given that he’s frequently required to remove his shirt — and risks being recognized (due to his tattoo) by customers.
Based upon these points and the part that Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 played in launching Cardi’s career, Brophy Jr. claims that he’s entitled to a portion of her earnings.
Earlier this week, Cardi B revealed on social media that she’d had one of her own tattoos – a peacock on her leg, it bears mentioning – touched up following a decade of gradual fading.
Cardi B’s Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1 mixtape cover.
Kevin Brophy’s back tattoo, per court evidence.
The actual back tattoo model with Cardi B during the mixtape photo shoot.