'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
A federal jury in Atlanta has awarded US$1.25 million to Cardi B in a defamation lawsuit against a celebrity news blogger who she says posted videos falsely stating the Grammy-winning rapper used cocaine, had contracted herpes and engaged in prostitution.
The jury on Monday found Latasha Kebe, known online as Tasha K, and a company she owns liable for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the rapper, whose given name is Belcalis Almanzar. Kebe's lawyers said in an email Tuesday that they disagree with the verdict and will file an appeal.
The jury awarded Cardi B $1 million in general damages for pain and suffering and/or reputational injury and $250,000 in medical expenses.
Kebe, who lives in the Atlanta area, produces, hosts and publishes a YouTube channel called unWinewithTashaK.
Kebe began targeting Cardi B in early 2018, making "degrading and harassing statements" about her, the lawsuit says. On Sept. 19, 2018 Kebe published a video of an interview she did with a woman who said she'd known Cardi B before her music career. The video includes the "false, malicious and defamatory" statements that Cardi B was a prostitute, has herpes and had suffered outbreaks on her mouth, and used cocaine.
"None of the aforementioned statements about Plaintiff are true," the lawsuit says. "Plaintiff was never a prostitute or a user of cocaine. Plaintiff has never, and does not now, have herpes, nor has she had herpes outbreaks on her mouth."
Shortly after the video was published, Cardi B's lawyer sent a cease and desist letter to Kebe demanding its immediate removal. Instead, Kebe published another video on Sept. 21, 2018, claiming that everything said in the video two days earlier was accurate and also asserting that the rapper was cheating on her husband, the lawsuit says.
Kebe then proceeded to attack Cardi B and make false statements about her on social media for months, the lawsuit says.
The statements caused Cardi B to "suffer embarrassment, humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional distress," the lawsuit says. They also "caused damage to (Cardi B's) reputation and character within her profession and industry, including but not limited to among her fans and with prospective business relations."
Kebe knew the statements she published about Cardi B were false, or was aware they were likely false, when she published them, the lawsuit says.
Cardi B originally filed the lawsuit against Kebe in March 2019. The woman Kebe had interviewed in the September 2018 video was initially a defendant as well, but the claim against her was terminated on Nov. 11, 2020, according to a filing by the judge in the case.
Kebe said in a court filing responding to the lawsuit that after she published the Sept. 19, 2018, video, Cardi B reached out to her via private message about the interview and was angry because personal details about her had been released. Kebe told Cardi B she wasn't interested in talking via private message and encouraged her to come on her YouTube channel to "tell her truth" in an interview, the filing says.
Cardi B declined and instead "went on a rampage" on Instagram, publishing numerous videos about information in the video and "began to publicly trash" Kebe, saying she "always makes up fake stories; harasses all of Cardi B's friends; constantly stalks Cardi B; uses Cardi B's name for 'click bait'; and many similar accusations," Kebe's court filing says.
Kebe received threats on Instagram and harassing calls on her cellphone, and her home address was made public, her court filing says. She feared for the safety of herself and her family and reached out to the FBI's Atlanta office. After an FBI agent advised her it would be best to find a new place to live, she moved her family to a different city in another county and ended up having to change her phone number, her filing says.
Kebe filed counterclaims against Cardi B, saying the rapper encouraged her associates and fans to threaten and harass her. Cardi B and her associates engaged in a "pattern of intimidation and harassment" against her when they threatened physical violence against her, the court filing says. In addition to the fear and anxiety Kebe suffered while also dealing with a high-risk pregnancy, she also incurred unexpected expenses associated with her abrupt move, her filing says.
Kebe said the rapper was guilty of assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress and should be required to pay her damages and attorney fees. U.S. District Judge William Ray in July dismissed Kebe's claims, saying she had failed to provide evidence establishing that Cardi B was the actual cause of any alleged assault or emotional distress.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.