Four months after a Los Angeles County jury cleared Cardi B of assault and battery claims, a judge has fined the plaintiff’s attorney for improperly asking the rapper about possible gang affiliations during the civil trial.

In a ruling issued Wednesday, Jan. 28, Ian C. Fusselman ordered attorney Ron A. Rosen Janfaza to pay a $1,500 fine after finding he violated a clear court order during the August 2025 proceedings.

The underlying case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by former security guard Emani Ellis, who accused Cardi — born Belcalis Almánzar — of assaulting her outside a Beverly Hills medical office in February 2018. On Sept. 2, 2025, a jury found Cardi not liable.

Ahead of trial, Judge Fusselman explicitly barred attorneys from asking Cardi about so-called prior bad acts, including her past as an exotic dancer or any alleged gang associations during her youth. The judge ruled such topics would be unduly prejudicial and could confuse jurors.

Despite that order, Janfaza asked Cardi on Aug. 26, one of the first days of testimony, “Do you have any affiliation at this time with a gang?” Cardi’s attorneys immediately objected, and the judge admonished Janfaza in open court.

In his written decision, Fusselman said the violation was neither accidental nor excusable.

“It was a knowing and intentional violation of the court’s ruling,” the judge wrote, rejecting Janfaza’s later explanations that he was sleep-deprived, that an office manager drafted the question, or that the phrase “at this time” made the inquiry permissible.

The judge found that the wording was deliberately crafted to skirt the spirit of the court’s order while still injecting a prohibited subject into the trial.

Janfaza must pay the fine by Feb. 27 and is required to self-report the sanctions order to the California State Bar within 30 days.

The sanctions ruling also referenced Cardi’s viral testimony, which became one of the trial’s defining features. During questioning, Cardi sparred repeatedly with Janfaza, delivering blunt, profane answers that circulated widely online. In one exchange, she explained her heightened emotions during the 2018 confrontation by saying she was pregnant and feared the situation could escalate.

Other moments drew laughter in the courtroom, including when Janfaza appeared confused by Cardi wearing different wigs on consecutive days. “They’re wigs!” she told him, rolling her eyes, after he asked which hairstyle was her “real hair.”

After the verdict clearing her of liability, Cardi spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, vowing to fight back against future lawsuits.

“I did not touch that woman,” she said. “The next time someone tries to do a frivolous lawsuit against me, I’m going to countersue. I’m going to make you pay.”