Is the self-named “bad bunny” really that bad? One of Bad Bunny‘s alleged ex-girlfriends seems to think so, as she recently filed a lawsuit against him for copyright infringement on a couple of his songs.
Is Bad Bunny In Legal Trouble?
An alleged ex-girlfriend of the “Callaíta” singer, stated in the lawsuit as Carliz de la Cruz Hernández, said that she recorded an audio the Puerto Rican used in one of his songs without her consent, according to information from the BBC. The plaintiff claimed she recorded herself saying “Bad Bunny baby” on her phone, in 2015 and sent him the clip in a voicemail before the star became famous and ended the relationship.
The legal complaint points to the fact that the recording was apparently taken up on the 2017 single “Pa Ti” and the 2022 song “Dos Mil 16,” but without her giving the singer explicit permission for her voice to appear on the hits, which are some of Bad Bunny‘s most listened to on Spotify. For that, De la Cruz Hernández is seeking $40 million in the lawsuit she filed in Puerto Rico earlier this month.
A “Love” Story That Did Not End Well
The plaintiff recounted in the legal documents that she allegedly began a relationship with Benito Martínez Ocasio, the performer’s real name, in 2011, after meeting him while working together at a supermarket. The alleged relationship came to an end in 2016, although she comments that they allegedly had a fleeting affair the following year. She claims that she recorded herself saying “Bad Bunny baby” on many occasions via a voice memo app and that she regularly did so in the bathroom of a friend’s house as she considered it to be the quietest place in the room.
The lawsuit also highlights that Bad Bunny used the recordings in several tracks he released on Soundcloud with the plaintiff’s permission, but when he became famous and decided to use them for the song “Pa Ti,” which has more than 355 million views on YouTube and 235 million plays on Spotify, he did not give her the credit or royalties she deserved.
De la Cruz Hernandez’s lawyers even mentioned that the artist’s legal representatives sought her out to buy the rights to the recording for 2 thousand dollars days before the release of the album Un Verano Sin Ti, last year and that she refused the sale. Despite her refusal, the album was released with her recording the song “Dos Mil 16,” which so far has 60 million views on YouTube and 280 million plays on Spotify.
They Recognize Her Voice in Bad Bunny’s songs
Relatives and friends of De la Cruz Hernandez have allegedly trolled her on social networks after recognizing her voice in the Puerto Rican’s tracks, as she commented in the lawsuit, a fact that has generated very bitter moments for her. “This has caused, and continues to cause, De la Cruz to feel worried, distressed, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious,” the legal documents read.
“This situation for De la Cruz has become unmanageable, to the point that she has needed to contact multiple psychologists for help as soon as possible.” And the fact is that the recording has even been used in several international concerts of the artist, a fact that the plaintiff has taken as a mockery of her person, equivalent to gross negligence, a fact of bad faith, and an attack on her privacy, morals, and dignity, as noted in the complaint.
