Cardi B Tries To Sink Ch. 11 Of YouTuber Who Owes Her $3.8M

Emily Lever | December 13, 2024

Cardi B has asked a Florida bankruptcy court to dismiss the Chapter 11 case of YouTuber Tasha K, saying she deliberately hid her assets to frustrate the rapper’s efforts at collecting on a $3.8 million defamation verdict.

Belcalis Marlenis Almnzar, who performs under the name Cardi B, said in a motion to dismiss on Thursday that the debtor, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, had abused the bankruptcy process and should see her case either dismissed or converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation.

“The Bankruptcy Code is designed to provide relief to the honest but unfortunate debtor. However, the debtor in this case is neither honest nor simply unfortunate,” Almánzar wrote.

After an Atlanta jury in 2022 found Kebe and her business, Kebe Entertainment LLC, had acted in bad faith to defame Almánzar, the record artist moved to garnish Kebe’s wages from the monetization of her social media platforms, and Kebe filed for bankruptcy in 2023.

Almánzar had sued the YouTuber and her company in Georgia federal court in 2019 for defamation, invasion of privacy through portrayal in a false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Kebe had said in public videos and social media posts that Almánzar was a sex worker who had used cocaine and publicly performed a lewd sexual act with a beer bottle, case records show. Kebe also said that Almánzar had oral herpes, or cold sores, as well as human papillomavirus, or HPV, and that she had cheated on her husband, who is also a well-known rapper.

The Atlanta jury found Kebe and her business had acted in bad faith or been stubbornly litigious, warranting their payment of punitive damages and litigation expenses. In addition to a judgment against Kebe herself, Kebe Entertainment was also hit with a $500,000 judgment.

After the jury award, Kebe transferred assets belonging to her or Kebe Entertainment to her
husband, Cheickna Kebe, and his solely owned company, Yelen Entertainment LLC, according to the motion.

Kebe also transferred her ownership stake in her home to her husband, spent $25,000 setting up offshore trusts to hide her assets, and lied under oath about her financial affairs, according to the motion. After multiple depositions under rule 2004 of the Bankruptcy Code, the husband and wife admitted to trying to transfer the assets out of creditors’ reach, according to the motion.

The Kebes have also been living in a residence with rent costing them $7,000 a month, and Kebe’s YouTube videos and social media show her living a “luxurious” lifestyle, even as she is ducking her obligations to pay up, Almánzar contended. She is thus not actually insolvent and filing for bankruptcy in bad faith, according to the motion.

Almánzar asked that the court dismiss Kebe’s Chapter 11 case and bar her from filing for bankruptcy again for two years, or else convert to Chapter 7.

None of the parties immediately responded to requests for comment on Friday.

Kebe is represented by Chad T. Van Horn of Van Horn Law Group PA.

Almánzar is represented by James C. Moon of Meland Budwick PA.

The case is In re: Latasha Transrina Kebe, case number 23-14082, in the U.S. Bankruptcy court for the Southern District of Florida.

This article was originally published by Law360 on December 13, 2024.

Cardi B Tries To Sink Ch. 11 Of YouTuber Who Owes Her $3.8M. December 13, 2024. Cardi B has asked a Florida bankruptcy court to dismiss the Chapter 11 case of YouTuber Tasha K, saying she deliberately hid her assets to frustrate the rapper’s efforts at collecting on a $3.8 million defamation verdict. Belcalis Marlenis Almnzar, who performs under the name Cardi B, said in a motion to dismiss on Thursday that the debtor, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, had abused the bankruptcy process and should see her case either dismissed or converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation. “The Bankruptcy Code is designed to provide relief to the honest but unfortunate debtor. However, the debtor in this case is neither honest nor simply unfortunate,” Almánzar wrote. After an Atlanta jury in 2022 found Kebe and her business, Kebe Entertainment LLC, had acted in bad faith to defame Almánzar, the record artist moved to garnish Kebe’s wages from the monetization of her social media platforms, and Kebe filed for bankruptcy in 2023. Almánzar had sued the YouTuber and her company in Georgia federal court in 2019 for defamation, invasion of privacy through portrayal in a false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Kebe had said in public videos and social media posts that Almánzar was a sex worker who had used cocaine and publicly performed a lewd sexual act with a beer bottle, case records show. Kebe also said that Almánzar had oral herpes, or cold sores, as well as human papillomavirus, or HPV, and that she had cheated on her husband, who is also a well-known rapper. The Atlanta jury found Kebe and her business had acted in bad faith or been stubbornly litigious, warranting their payment of punitive damages and litigation expenses. In addition to a judgment against Kebe herself, Kebe Entertainment was also hit with a $500,000 judgment. After the jury award, Kebe transferred assets belonging to her or Kebe Entertainment to her husband, Cheickna Kebe, and his solely owned company, Yelen Entertainment LLC, according to the motion. Kebe also transferred her ownership stake in her home to her husband, spent $25,000 setting up offshore trusts to hide her assets, and lied under oath about her financial affairs, according to the motion. After multiple depositions under rule 2004 of the Bankruptcy Code, the husband and wife admitted to trying to transfer the assets out of creditors’ reach, according to the motion. The Kebes have also been living in a residence with rent costing them $7,000 a month, and Kebe’s YouTube videos and social media show her living a “luxurious” lifestyle, even as she is ducking her obligations to pay up, Almánzar contended. She is thus not actually insolvent and filing for bankruptcy in bad faith, according to the motion. Almánzar asked that the court dismiss Kebe’s Chapter 11 case and bar her from filing for bankruptcy again for two years, or else convert to Chapter 7. None of the parties immediately responded to requests for comment on Friday. Kebe is represented by Chad T. Van Horn of Van Horn Law Group PA. Almánzar is represented by James C. Moon of Meland Budwick PA. The case is In re: Latasha Transrina Kebe, case number 23-14082, in the U.S. Bankruptcy court for the Southern District of Florida. This article was originally published by Law360 on December 13, 2024. . Emily Lever, Other NewsArchive. December 2024 July 2024 June 2024 March 2024 November 2023 April 2023 January 2023 November 2022 June 2022 . MRB. Contact us, Our attorneys, careers. About. Firm overview, Our Values, Community involvement, Representative matters. Pracrtice. Real Estate, Commercial Litigation, Receiverships and Assignments, Bankruptcy and Restructuring. In the News, Announcements, Film Videos. 2018 Meland, Russin, Budwick. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.