Superstar and global icon rapper Bad Bunny is being sued by his ex-girlfriend for an astonishing $40 million dollars. The woman in question is claiming that the singer used her voice illegally without any compensation on multiple tracks.
The ex-girlfriend, named Carliz La Cruz Hernández, claims that in 2015 before the major split between the two, she recorded a voice memo on her phone. In the audio, Hernández says “Bad Bunny baby” which was used in quite a few tracks from Benito Antonio.
The voice recording was used on two tracks including “Pa Ti” and “Dos Mil 16”. Both tracks as of date have been played over 200 million times on platforms like Spotify. Both tracks also appear on the album “Un Verano Sin Ti”.
Looking at the court documents filed in Puerto Rico earlier this month, Hernández says that it was in fact her that came up with the notorious phrase and her “distinguishable voice” was used without permission. The ex-girlfriend, who also happens to be a laywer, claims Bad Bunny violates Puerto Rico’s “law of the right to own image.”
“Thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about ‘Bad Bunny baby,’” the lawsuit states. “This has caused, and currently causes, De La Cruz to feel worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious.”
The two started dating in 2011 and later called it off. De la Cruz is seeking $40 million for a settlement. In other court documents, Bad Bunny offered $2,000 for the recordings in 2022 but she declined. The deal was never reached between the two, and the singer continued to use the recording without permission, according to the lawsuit.
Bad Bunny is set to headline Coachella music festival next month but it is unclear if this will be resolved before then.
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