Reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is facing a $40m lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend for alleged assault and emotional abuse. The ex-girlfriend, whose identity has not been disclosed, filed the lawsuit in a Puerto Rican court last week, accusing the singer of numerous incidents of physical and emotional abuse during their relationship. The lawsuit has sparked outrage among the singer’s fans and the music industry, raising questions about domestic violence and abuse of power in the entertainment industry. In this article, we explore the allegations against Bad Bunny and the wider issues raised by this case.
Puerto Rican pop star and rapper, Bad Bunny, is facing a lawsuit for $40m (£33m) from his ex-girlfriend Carliz De La Cruz Hernández. She claims that he has used a recording of her saying “Bad Bunny baby” in two songs without her permission. The line was recorded on her phone in 2015, before the couple split up and before Bad Bunny became famous. The phrase can be heard on Bad Bunny’s 2017 single Pa Ti and the 2022 song Dos Mil 16. Hernandez claims the use of the recording in the songs amounts to “gross negligence, bad faith and, worse still, an attack on her privacy, morals and dignity”. She is also suing Bad Bunny’s record label, Rimas Entertainment, and his manager, Noah Assad.
According to the legal document filed in Puerto Rico earlier this month, Bad Bunny’s representatives offered to buy the rights to the phrase from Hernandez for $2,000 (£1,600) just days before the release of his latest album, Un Verano Sin Ti. Hernandez refused and the album was released with the phrase included. Un Verano Sin Ti has been nominated for album of the year at the Grammy Awards, and the track Dos Mil 16 has had 60 million YouTube views and 280 million Spotify plays.
Since the release of the latest album, Hernandez claims she has been inundated with messages from Bad Bunny’s fans on social media and in person. The situation has caused her to feel “worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious”, and she has sought help from multiple psychologists, according to the legal document.
Hernandez recorded several versions of herself saying “Bad Bunny baby” using the voice notes app on her phone at a friend’s home in the bathroom because it was the quietest room. She then sent the recordings to Bad Bunny, who used them in a string of early tracks on Soundcloud before releasing them on his 2017 single.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio, has not yet publicly responded to Hernandez’s legal action. He is the most-streamed artist on Spotify for the past three years and won a Grammy Award for his latest album Un Verano Sin Ti.
This is not the first time that a high-profile musician has been sued for using someone else’s recording without permission. In 2015, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay $5.3m (£4m) to the estate of Marvin Gaye over their hit single Blurred Lines. The case centred on similarities between the song and Gaye’s 1977 hit Got to Give It Up.
In conclusion, Hernandez has taken legal action against her ex-boyfriend, Bad Bunny, claiming he used a recording of her in two songs without her permission. She is seeking $40m (£33m) and alleges that its use amounts to “gross negligence, bad faith and, worse still, an attack on her privacy, morals and dignity”. The case is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be.
In closing, the news of Bad Bunny being sued for $40m by his ex-girlfriend is a reminder of how public scrutiny can often come hand-in-hand with fame, especially when it comes to personal relationships. While both parties are entitled to their own version of events, it is ultimately up to the court to decide who is in the right. As fans of the Latin music superstar, we can only hope that this legal battle will not overshadow his ongoing success in the industry and that he and his former flame can find a peaceful resolution to their issues.
