If you’re someone who believes in the lore of the “Kardashian curse,” you won’t be surprised to learn that Bad Bunny’s luck has turned since he started dating Kendall Jenner.
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The Puerto Rican rapper is being sued by his ex-girlfriend, Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, for $40 million over claims he used an old recording of her voice without permission or compensation.
De La Cruz claims that in 2015, prior to her split with Bad Bunny–and before his rise to international fame–she recorded the phrase “Bad Bunny baby” on her phone. According to reports from CNBC, that voice recording has been used on two of Bad Bunny’s songs, his 2017 single “Pa Ti” and the 2022 song “Dos Mil 16.” Both tracks have more than 200 million plays each on Spotify, with the latter appearing on the chart-topping album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
According to court documents filed in Puerto Rico earlier this month, De La Cruz said she came up with the phrase and her “distinguishable voice” is being used without her permission. Her lawyers argue that the reggaetonero’s use of her voice 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.”
Carliz and Bad Bunny dated on and off starting in 2011, according to the lawsuit. She alleges in the court documents that the artist offered her $2,000 to buy the recording in 2022, an offer that she declined. A deal was never reached, but he still proceeded to use the recording without her express permission, according to the lawsuit.
Now, De la Cruz is seeking at least $40 million. Bad Bunny’s label, Rimas Entertainment, and his manager, Noah Kamil Assad Byrne, are also named in the suit.
