Puerto Rican Latin star Bad Bunny, 29, has been sued by an ex-girlfriend for $40 million in damages for using her voice in two songs. Among other things, she also filed a lawsuit against the manager and the record company of the Latin trap and reggaeton singer in a court in Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan for violating moral rights and the right to one’s own image, like her lawyers from the German Press Agency confirmed.
In the songs “Pa Ti” from 2016 and “Dos Mil 16” from 2022, a female voice can be heard saying “Bad Bunny, Baby”. According to the lawsuit, Carliz De La Cruz, the then-girlfriend of the rapper and singer – whose real name is Benito Martínez – recorded the clip at his request in 2015 in a friend’s bathroom with her cell phone.
Since then, the recording has been used in the two songs and in numerous concerts, performances and products by Bad Bunny without her consent and without naming her as the copyright holder. Because of the unwanted attention De La Cruz then received on social media and in public, she felt anxious, intimidated and overwhelmed and had to turn to a psychologist. The lawyer demanded at least 5 million US dollars (4.6 million euros) in damages in eight points.
According to the lawsuit, the couple began dating in 2011. A year later, both began studying at the same university in the city of Arecibo, on the north coast of the US territory, and worked in a supermarket. They became engaged, but De La Cruz called it quits first in May 2016 and then again after a reconciliation the following year. Bad Bunny (“Tití Me Preguntó”) has been the world’s most-streamed artist on music streaming market leader Spotify for the past three years.
