SoHo Hotel 'Karen' Arrested with Her Mom ... For Another Hotel Disturbance at Peninsula
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The woman who attacked a black teen after falsely accusing him of stealing her iPhone seems to have a penchant for creating disturbances in hotels, because she was arrested for one back in February.
12/26/20
Miya Ponsetto is now in the crosshairs of authorities for her antics in an NYC hotel, and TMZ has learned she also caused quite a fuss -- allegedly -- at the Peninsula hotel in Bev Hills back in February.
Miya and her mom, Nicole apparently wore out their welcome when Peninsula staff ordered them to leave, but they refused. Law enforcement sources tell us, someone from the hotel called police, told them the women looked drunk and refused to leave ... so Beverly Hills cops showed up to handle the situation.
Our law enforcement sources say when they arrived and tried to get Miya and Nicole to leave, Nicole allegedly pushed and kicked a cop. Both women were arrested ... Nicole for battery on a police officer and being drunk in public. While Miya was arrested for being drunk in public. They have a court hearing later this month.
Now get this ... the L.A. County District Attorney charged both women on May 27, 2020. The very next day, Miya was arrested again, this time for drunk driving. She pled no contest and was sentenced to 3 years probation, 30 hours of community service and she must take a 9-month alcohol/drug counseling program.
As for the phone incident -- in case you don't know turns out she left her phone in an Uber -- seems Miya has a thing for phones -- her Etsy page is littered with custom phone cases she favors. Even if she's obsessed with phones, it's no reason to flip out on 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr., New York authorities are considering serious charges against her.
12/26/20
Cops are currently on the hunt for 22-year-old Miya. Like the NYPD, so far we've been unable to contact her, although we do know she's back in SoCal, where she lives.
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Prince IRS Claims Estate Grossly Undervalued ... Demands Millions More in Taxes
Prince's death has been riddled in estate challenges for years, and now the IRS is getting into the act, claiming the folks managing the estate have grossly undervalued it.
Uncle Sam claims the estate is worth double what the money managers claim. The estate set the value at just over $80 million, but the IRS says it's worth more than $160 mil.
Obviously, the taxman wants his cut, and that's why the U.S. Tax Court is now in the picture. The IRS claims the estate shorted the taxes due by $32.4 mil ... that's double what the estate planned to pay.
There have been all sorts of figures thrown around by the various heirs -- some of whom have mounted challenges -- some estimates put the estate's value as high as $300 mil.
The IRS really wants its pound of flesh. It's also asking for a $6.4 million penalty for the undervaluation. The estate filed legal docs this summer claiming the IRS's numbers are way, way off.
TMZ broke the story ... Prince died in 2016 of a fentanyl OD. Death and taxes.
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Ahmaud Arbery Murder Suspects Don't Let Anyone Call Arbery 'Victim' During Trial
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The men responsible for Ahmaud Arbery's death have a litany of requests for their murder trial -- notably, they don't want the word "victim" uttered in court while referring to him.
Defense attorneys for Travis and Greg McMichael -- the father and son who chased Ahmaud down with their truck and then proceeded to shoot and kill him in a struggle -- have filed new motions ... which include barring the prosecution from ever referring to Ahmaud as a victim in front of the jury, 'cause they say that's a conclusion that can't be reached before a verdict.
According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the McMichaels argue no crime has been committed -- remember, they've pled not guilty and argued self-defense. As a result ... they say "loaded words" like "victim" might prejudice jurors against them from the jump.
The McMichaels want neutral language used for a fair shake, as they haven't conceded to any wrongdoing on their part.
There's more ... the McMichaels also asked that only one "in life" photograph be permitted at trial to depict Ahmaud -- and that that photo show him alone without any family members or friends. Not just that, but the defense asks that no family member of his be able to identify him in court ... they want that done by an unrelated, third party witness, if necessary.
The reason ... they argue too many photos of the guy will create an ingrained bias in the jury's collective mind, and paint Ahmaud as a sympathetic character. They say they don't want his family involved in ID'ing either because of possible emotional outbursts, which may also affect the jurors. So in other words, the McMichaels want this as sterile as possible.
One last thing ... the McMichaels have asked that BLM face masks not be permitted in court, that any jail calls they've made be stricken as usable evidence, but that Ahmaud's criminal record be admissible.
A judge has yet to weigh in, and a trial date isn't set.
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Andre Hill Body Cam Video Shows Cops Failed to Give First Aid ... For 10 Minutes After Shooting Him
12/22/2020
Andre Hill, the black man who was shot and killed by a Columbus, Ohio cop, lay dying for a full 10 minutes before he received ANY first aid from officers ... this based on newly-released body cam video.
In an horrific scene .... you see 47-year-old Hill laying partly inside an open garage as cops hover around him. They don't give him first aid, but they do walk over and handcuff him and then wait a full 10 minutes before doing chest compressions.
Hill was unarmed, and you hear a woman inside the house who comes out and says, "He was bringing me Christmas money. He didn't do anything." One of the cops orders her back inside the house.
As for why Officer Adam Coy, a 19-year veteran of the force, shot and killed Hill ... Coy saw Hill enter an open garage. Coy asked Hill to come out of the garage, but according to another cop who was on scene did not command him to come out with hands up. The observing officer says she saw Hill raise one hand with a cellphone in it. Coy screamed, "There's a gun in his other hand, there's a gun in his other hand" and then Coy shot Hill.
There was no gun in Hill's other hand or anywhere else. He was unarmed.
Coy and the other officer did not turn on their body cams before the shooting, which is a violation of department policy. But, the body cams have a feature that captures the minute before they're turned on, and that's why the shooting was captured on video, although muted.
As for the new body cam video, it's all post-shooting. We have not put the full video in this post, but there's a full 10 minutes when cops do nothing to help the dying man.
Coy has been fired for violating department policy by failing to turn on his body cam and also failing to render first aid.
Ben Crump, who represents the Hill family, was outraged at the new video, saying, "Andre Hill should be alive today and his death is indefensible! The rampant police mentality to shoot first and ask questions later is incontrovertible evidence that Black lives don't matter with too many law enforcement officers."
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'Love Island's' Zara Holland Detained After Trying to Board Plane ... With COVID-Positive Boyfriend
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11:21 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources confirm with TMZ ... both Holland and Love were detained, but she's been released to return to her hotel. We're told Love remains a resident at the medical facility.
Zara Holland, a “Love Island” star and Miss Great Britain 2015, could be facing time behind bars in Barbados, after allegedly trying to board a plane bound for England when her boyfriend tested positive for COVID.
The reality star and Elliott Love were reportedly trying to board the plane to avoid being taken to a quarantine facility.
They were tested 6 days ago upon their arrival to the island and ordered to self-quarantine until they got the results. The results came back and Love tested positive, according to The Sun. They were given red wristbands and the plan was for them to quarantine at a military base that is now used to isolate COVID-positive people.
They reportedly tried to jump the gun by cutting off their wristbands, calling a cab and hightailing it to the airport. Someone apparently found the wristbands and figured out what was up and called the cops. The couple was corralled at airport security and taken into custody. They're reportedly being held in the COVID-wing at a local hospital.
They could both face possible criminal charges if true, which includes the crime of endangering the lives of others. The crime carries a maximum sentence of 1 year in jail.
Zara's had her issues before. She lost her beauty crown after video aired on "Love Island" of her performing oral sex on another contestant.
Originally Published -- 9:06 AM PT
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Church of Scientology Catches Huge Break in Stalking Case ... Masterson Accusers Must Use Church Judges
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Danny Masterson's rape accusers -- who sued him and The Church of Scientology for allegedly stalking them -- are facing an uphill battle ... because the church's own leaders will ultimately get to play judge and jury in their case.
According to a new court order obtained by TMZ ... Chrissie Carnell Bixler -- along with her husband, Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala -- and another rape accuser entered into a written agreement when they were still members of the church, which says "any dispute, claim or controversy" that arises between them must be resolved by the church ... instead of by the courts.
The L.A. Superior Court ruled on Wednesday that this agreement is binding, and requires them to "use Scientology internal Ethics, Justice, and binding religious arbitration procedures" for such disputes.
The arbitration clause goes on to say these issues will be resolved by "application to senior ecclesiastical bodies, including, as necessary, final submission of the dispute to the international justice Chief of the Mother Church of the Scientology religion."
As we reported ... Bixler and 3 other women who've alleged Masterson sexually assaulted them filed their suit in August 2019, claiming they've been mercilessly stalked by the Church of Scientology in an effort to silence them.
Masterson has repeatedly denied the claims against him, but of course ... the recent court order says he's agreed to the church's arbitration.
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George Floyd Murder Trial Prosecutors Ask to Move to June ... COVID Vaccine Will Make it Safer!!!
The 4 officers charged in the killing of George Floyd might have to wait a few more months to stand trial ... because the State of Minnesota believes it will be better for public health.
Prosecutors filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- asking to continue the trial to June 7 due to the recent approval of 2 COVID-19 vaccines. The State believes "moving the start of this trial to June 2021 would reduce the public health risks associated with conducting the trial during the COVID-19 pandemic" in light of this development.
Prosecutors add that moving the trial from March to June "would also reduce the likelihood that the trial will be disrupted by COVID-19 cases among court staff, lawyers, jurors, and witnesses."
5/25/20
The State makes a point to say it's ready to try the case March 8 as scheduled, but feels a 3-month delay would be in the best interest of public health ... especially in a high-profile case that may pose unique health risks.
According to the docs ... the trial involves "a larger-than-usual number of participants, including four Defendants, their counsel, and dozens of witnesses" and "is likely to be the subject of large public demonstrations, which may increase the risk of community spread of COVID-19."
Defendants officers Kueng & Lane (rookie cops of the Minneapolis PD) surrounded by protesters, police escort & their attorneys leaving the Hennepin County Family Justin Center. #GeorgeFloyd #Minneapolis #HennepinCounty pic.twitter.com/t6DqfXptJD
— Brandon Bryant (@mrbrandonbryant) September 11, 2020 @mrbrandonbryant
A delay might work out for all parties, because just 2 weeks ago defense lawyers for the 4 former Minneapolis PD officers in Floyd's case argued for more time to prepare for the trial, because prosecutors revealed potential evidence after a court-imposed deadline.
As we reported ... Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are each charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
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NYPD On the Hunt for Woman Who Attacked Black Child ... New Surveillance Video Shows Attack
12/26/20
The woman who falsely accused a 14-year-old boy of stealing her cellphone and then physically attacked him is now wanted by the NYPD, and new video shows the attack.
The NYPD just released surveillance video from the Arlo SoHo hotel in NYC, showing the end of the confrontation, where the woman clearly attacks the child before fleeing.
Cops have put a pic of her mug out, asking the public to help them locate her.
As we reported, the child and his parents, Grammy-winning jazz musician Keyon Harrold and his wife, Kat, a musician herself who plays sax for Beyonce, were at the hotel when the woman confronted them and accused the child of stealing her iPhone.
After causing a scene, attacking the child and fleeing, an Uber driver found her phone in his car and returned it. So, she left it in the Uber.
Harrold spoke at a rally at City Hall Wednesday, along with his famed lawyer, Ben Crump, and Rev. Al Sharpton. He played "America the Beautiful" and "We Shall Overcome."
Harrold, Kat and Crump were on "TMZ Live" this week, decrying the woman's action and demanding the NYPD investigate ... and that's what they are now doing.
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Joe Exotic Legal Team Jetting to D.C. ... Hoping for Jan. 6 Pardon
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Joe Exotic has not been pardoned yet, but it sounds like he has a plan to get sprung before Trump says adios to D.C.
The "Tiger King" star's legal team will fly to Washington next Wednesday ... we're told for a "high level" meeting in connection with their pardon petition.
Eric Love, who leads the legal team, clearly knows how to stroke Trump's ego. They chose January 6 for a reason ... it's the final straw, when the House votes to ratify Joe Biden as the next President, and when Trump's planning a rally.
There's a buzz in D.C. Trump may pardon a bunch of people Jan. 6 as a distraction, so the House vote doesn't get the attention it would otherwise get.
Joe's got several decades of sentence left, and, as we reported, he's already thinking about dying. Joe has told his team he does not want to be put on a ventilator if he contracts COVID, which is running rampant in the prison.
BTW ... this is the private jet the legal team will take from Ft. Worth to D.C. next week. When they go wheels up, it will be wrapped with Joe's face emblazoned on the jet.
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Breonna Taylor LMPD Chief Firing Two More Cops For Roles in Deadly Raid
Breonna's family attorney, Ben Crump, wants to see punishments for the detectives go way beyond firings.
Crump claims Jaynes "committed perjury and should be arrested and charged for breaking his oath" as the person who swore to the affidavit.
As for Cosgrove, Crump says he "recklessly opened fire into Breonna's home with a complete disregard for human life, never identifying or acquiring a specific target before shooting and killing Breonna Taylor."
Crump says both officers should be held criminally liable for her death.
Louisville Metro PD is about to fire 2 cops involved in the Breonna Taylor raid ... one of whom was responsible for getting the search warrant for the deadly raid.
Detectives Joshua Jaynes and Myles Cosgrove both received pre-termination letters from LMPD's Chief Yvette Gentry ... according to their lawyers. Cosgrove was one of the officers present during the raid and did fire shots.
Jaynes was not there but filed the paperwork with a judge to get a warrant. He had said that was based on information from a postal inspector that drug suspect -- Breonna's ex-boyfriend -- had received packages at her home -- but Jaynes later admitted he never verified that info with the post office.
According to the New York Times, the letters both officers got said, "These are extreme violations of our policies."
LMPD previously fired Brett Hankison, saying he had "violated obedience to rules and regulations," and use of deadly force while serving the warrant.
Hankison is also the sole officer the grand jury indicted on a wanton endangerment charge. He was not charged for the shooting of Breonna ... he was charged with shooting into a neighboring apartment.
Jaynes and Cosgrove both have a pre-termination hearing set for Thursday ... but even Jaynes' attorney has said he doesn't expect to change Chief Gentry's mind.
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Logan Paul Sued Over Hanging Man Video ... You Torpedoed Our Deal!!!
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Logan Paul's reckless filming of a dead body hanging in a Japanese forest torpedoed a movie he was signed on to star in, and it cost the production company millions ... this according to a new lawsuit.
Planeless Pictures just filed suit against the YouTuber, claiming they inked a deal with him in 2016 to make a movie -- starring Logan as a fictionalized version of himself -- called "Airplane Mode," which was supposed to be a spoof on modern-day trend-setters, like the Paul brothers and other social media folks.
According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Planeless claims they were all set to have Logan star in, write and help produce the flick, and he'd agreed to help get other influencers on board as well, including Jake Paul, Juanpa Zurita, Nick Bateman, Amanda Cerny and others. The idea was that they'd distribute it through YouTube and other social media platforms -- via said influencers' pages -- in a new, revolutionary way to market and monetize the film.
Planeless even says Google inked a $3 million licensing deal with them for the movie -- but they claim it all came crashing down when Logan foolishly filmed himself in Aokigahara, Japan (otherwise known as the "suicide forest"), where he documented the hanging death of a man up close. You know what happened after that on his end, but according to Planeless' claim, they say his boneheaded move completely destroyed the movie deal.
Planeless alleges Logan deliberately posted the suicide video knowing it would kill their deal, but he did it anyway. Sure enough, Planeless says Google tore up their contract ... which left them out upwards of $3 million -- something they're now saying Logan owes them.
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Nashville Bomber Reports of Shots Fired ... Feds Now Say it Was NOT Gunfire
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Early reports of shots being fired in downtown Nashville before Anthony Quinn Warner blew his RV and himself to smithereens may be bogus -- because we've now learned there's no evidence he or anyone opened fire.
Federal law enforcement sources involved in the investigation and with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... yes, officers initially responded to the scene on Christmas morning after receiving reports of shots fired -- but since then, officials haven't been able to find anything to back that up.
We're told investigators have zero evidence to suggest Warner opened fire in or around the explosion site. Our sources say their initial theory was that Warner may have fired shots to get the cops to the downtown area where they would hear the recording from the RV of an impending explosion and clear the area so no one would be injured or killed in the blast.
There's another, more sinister theory ... that Warner wanted cops there to get close to the explosion, but officials now don't believe that. They say everything Warner did was to avoid loss of life, which is why he chose 6:30 AM on Xmas morning.
Now, our sources do say ammo was recovered at the scene, including exploded rounds that authorities say came from the RV ... however, they don't have markings of rounds fired from a gun. Authorities are convinced that ammo was in pristine condition until the explosion.
As for that loud bang prior to the blast, heard by the people who called 911 -- and we're told multiple people called -- our federal sources say they believe it could have been a recording of gunfire blaring from the RV, which would accomplish the same purpose of getting cops there to clear the area, but they just don't know for sure.
As we reported, there seems to be increasing evidence the AT&T building was Warner's main target. Authorities think he may have been paranoid about 5G technology.
The investigation continues, but our sources say they may never figure out a motive or what Warner did in the time leading up to the blast.
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WWE Star Shad Gaspard Widow Sues Los Angeles ... Your Lifeguards Left Shad to Die!!!
WWE Star Shad Gaspard's widow claims the Venice Beach lifeguards on duty the day her husband died left him to fend for himself ... and she wants L.A. and California to pay for her loss.
Siliana Gaspard filed a wrongful death suit ... alleging the lifeguards weren't up to snuff in protecting Shad from drowning, which she says happened on the government's watch.
In her docs, obtained by TMZ, Siliana claims there wasn't sufficient signage on Venice Beach the day Shad died to warn him of the dangers of strong currents with the potential to take him under.
Not only that, but she claims the lifeguard towers that day were significantly understaffed and the lifeguards negligently opted to only save their 10-year-old son ... and left Shad "in the water to die."
You'll recall ... Shad had apparently instructed lifeguards to focus on saving his son, but had gone under the surface when they returned for him.
He was missing for a few days before his body washed up onshore -- but he was, deservedly, hailed for his heroism and sacrifice to save his child.
It's interesting ... after the tragedy, Siliana praised the lifeguards and divers who attempted to save and locate Shad, saying ... "We’d like to once again thank the lifeguards, coastguard, divers, fire and police departments for their efforts."
Based on the lawsuit, it seems she's had a change of heart.
Siliana's suing L.A. County, the city and the state of California for unspecified damages and burial costs too.
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'Black-ish' Creator Kenya Barris Seeks TRO Against His Sister ... Stay Away from My Kids!!!
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Kenya Barris -- the creator of "Black-ish" and other spinoffs -- is asking a judge to step in to force his sister to keep her distance ... because he claims she's cashing in on his name, and threatening his kids.
The wildly successful writer, director, actor and TV producer just filed for a restraining order against Colette Barris -- his own sibling, who teaches professionally and also writes books -- because of fears Kenya has that she's going to harm his kids ... in one way or another.
In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kenya documents years of alleged incidents in which he claims she piggybacked on his name and their familial relationship to hook herself up with opportunities in Hollywood. But, after failed attempts to get her own projects off the ground -- either because meetings went nowhere, or because Kenya refused to help her -- he claims he now worries that Colette will take out her anger against him on his six children.
Due to that, he's now asking a judge to enforce a court-ordered shield of protection -- even if temporarily -- so she has to stay away from him and his family and cease communication.
Kenya says he's had a rocky relationship with his sis for years, all because he claims she insists on cashing in on the family name and using him for her own prospects ... not to mention allegedly demanding he take care of her and their extended fam with cash.
Kenya describes several alleged episodes in which he says Colette has procured meetings with big shot studio executives to pitch TV show ideas of her own ... all under what Kenya calls false pretenses, using his name and fake support to cozy up and secure face time. In some instances, Kenya says things actually got rolling for her ... all because some execs felt pressure to help Colette due to pending projects with him.
There's also this ... Kenya alleges Colette recently sent him a legal demand letter, saying he MUST fund a movie project of hers in the amount of $4 million (based on a novel of hers). He also claims that she's told him if he doesn't do what she says ... she'd go public.
Now, he's had it and wants her to keep away. Seems he beat her to the punch.
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Lori Loughlin She's Free!!! Released from Prison
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Lori Loughlin may have missed spending Christmas with her family but the good news ... she's only 3 days late 'cause she was just released from prison.
The "Full House" star will enjoy the rest of whatever 2020 has to offer after she was sprung free Monday ... and just 2 days shy of serving 2 months for her role in the college admissions scandal.
Lori flew back in style in a private jet that landed early Monday morning at the Van Nuys Airport.
As we reported ... Lori surrendered to authorities at FCI Dublin in California on Halloween Eve. Remember, she surrendered nearly 3 weeks before her November 19 deadline.
Lori, of course, agreed back in May to plead guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Lori -- along with her hubby, Mossimo -- were accused of paying $500k in bribes to get their daughters into USC and faking a photo that made it look like the girls were college-caliber rowers.
Now that Lori's out ... she'll be on 2 years of supervised release. She also has to perform 250 hours of community service. Mossimo was sentenced to 5 months and is still in prison.
He reported to prison officials back in November ... with a new look. One down, one more to go.
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Cardi B Settles Lawsuit with Ex-Manager 'Feels Good to be Free'
Cardi B's legal beef with her ex-manager is finally over -- and she seems to be pretty dang pleased with the results.
The rapper settled the dispute between her and Shaft, her ex-manager, who sued her for $10 mil in 2018 ... claiming he discovered her, and that she left him out in the cold once she truly blew up after the success of her first megahit "Bodak Yellow."
Shaft claimed his team of writers/producers crafted that song for her, and not only that ... he alleged he put her on the path to mainstream fame by getting her on VH1's 'Love & Hip Hop' -- only to be denied proper payment when she secured millions thereafter.
Cardi, of course, countersued for $15 million ... claiming the contract she signed with him way back when was incredibly unfair and way too one-sided -- not to mention greedy in how much of a cut he was allegedly trying to collect from her (a 20% commission at first and then 50% off her Sony publishing deal later, she claimed). She also said that Shaft tried controlling almost every aspect of her life ... including whom she could date, like Offset.
Those lawsuits were working their way through the system for a while -- and Cardi was even making requests about how her upcoming deposition oughta be handled -- but in the end ... it appears both sides have reached a mutual agreement to sweep all this under the rug.
AllHipHop obtained docs showing the matter was dismissed with prejudice -- meaning neither party can refile about the same grievance again. They also agreed to cover their own attorneys' fees.
Feels good to be free https://t.co/Cey0NdgI6a
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) December 27, 2020 @iamcardib
Usually, that means money's exchanged hands in some form -- but by the way Cardi's talking after news broke of her settlement ... it would appear she considers herself the victor.
She tweeted, "Feels good to be free."