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Bad Bunny sued for $40 million by ex-girlfriend over uncleared voice recording

By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 21 March 2023

Bad Bunny is being sued by an ex-girlfriend over a voice recording she provided to the singer before his rise to fame which, she says, he has now used on two of his tracks without permission.

Carliz De La Cruz Hernández and Bad Bunny, real name Benito Martínez Ocasio, became a couple in 2011. At one point they planned to marry, but they ultimately parted ways as his music career started to take off and she began studying at the University Of Puerto Rico’s law school.

In the short recording at the heart of this legal battle De La Cruz says “Bad Bunny, baby”. She apparently recorded the line at Martínez’s request when they were still a couple. It subsequently appeared in his tracks ‘Pa Ti’ in 2016 and ‘Dos Mil 16’ in 2022.

De La Cruz says that she never granted permission for the recording to be used in the two tracks or any other media. And not only that, ahead of the release of the album on which ‘Dos Mil 16’ appears, reps for Martínez allegedly offered her $2000 for the rights in the clip. But she specifically declined to do that deal.

“Since De La Cruz made it clear that she did not consent to its use”, the lawsuit says, according to Pitchfork, “its publication constituted an act of gross negligence, bad faith, and, worse still, an attack on her privacy, morals, and dignity”.

Martínez’s uncleared use of the voice recording has also resulted in thousands of people commenting about the ‘Bad Bunny, baby’ line on De La Cruz’s social media, the lawsuit adds, resulting in her feeling “worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious”.

The lawsuit, filed with the courts in Puerto Rico earlier this month, is seeking a neat $40 million in damages. Martínez is yet to comment on the legal proceedings.