Bad Bunny is being sued by his former girlfriend for $40 million over the unauthorized use of one of her voice recordings in his songs. The woman, named Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, has claimed that she had recorded the phrase ‘Bad Bunny baby’ on her phone in 2015 before the rapper shot to fame.
The catchphrase has been featured in a couple of songs by the 29 year old Puerto Rican singer. Bunny’s reps allegedly offered to buy the rights to the voice recording for $2000 in May 2022.
Bad Bunny’s Ex-Girlfriend Files $40 Million Lawsuit Against Him
Hernández says she recorded the catchphrase on a voice note app in a bathroom in 2015 and sent it to Bunny, whom she was dating at the time. The recording appeared in the rapper’s 2017 single Pa Ti, which currently has over 350 million views on YouTube. The phrase was again used as the introduction to the 2022 song Dos Mil 16.
Hernández filed a lawsuit against the singer in Puerto Rico earlier this month for using her recording without her permission. She is seeking $40 million from Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
The legal complaint says that the recording has been used in a number of tracks posted on SoundCloud, along with concerts, promotions, television, radio, and social media. Bad Bunny’s manager, Noah Kamil Assad Byrne, and record label Rimas Entertainment have also been sued by Hernández.
Bad Bunny and Hernández Dated for Five Years
The former couple reportedly started dating in 2011 while attending the same university and working at the same supermarket. At the time, Bunny was still trying to make it big. As per the court documents, he used to show his songs to his girlfriend and ask for her opinions.
The couple decided to get married in 2016 but broke up in the same year. They rekindled their romance in 2017 but eventually went their separate ways. The lawsuit now claims that Hernández’s ‘distinguishable voice’ has been used without her consent.
“Since then, thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about the ‘Bad Bunny, baby.’ This has caused, and currently causes, that De La Cruz feels worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious,” reads the legal document.
The Rapper’s Representatives Offered to Buy the Rights to the Recording in 2022
Hernández’s lawyers have claimed that she was contacted by one of Bunny’s reps in May 2022 with an offer to buy the rights to the ‘Bad Bunny baby’ recording for $2000. The offer was made a few days before the release of the singer’s album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
“In that call, [the representative] said, ‘I know you don’t like to talk about Voldemort [referring to Martínez], but I need to ask you something,’” revealed the lawyer. However, Hernández rejected the deal. The album topped the US Billboard 200 chart on its debut and was nominated for the 2023 Grammy’s album of the year.
The lawsuit claims that the use of the recording should be considered as ‘gross negligence, bad faith and, worse still, an attack on her privacy, morals and dignity.’ Bad Bunny’s reps have not yet commented on the matter.
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