Cardi B’s Doctor Wanted Security Guard Fired For Fight She’s Suing Over

Attorney: Thank you, Your Honor. Good afternoon, Doctor.
Doctor: Good afternoon.
Attorney: And what do you do for a living?
Doctor: I’m an obstetrician and gynecologist.
Attorney: Where is your office located?
Doctor: In Beverly Hills, at Wilshire and La Peer.
Attorney: Is that a medical building?
Doctor: It is. It’s the Beverly Hills Medical Building, I think.
Attorney: Were you in those offices in February of 2018?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: What floor were you on?
Doctor: The fifth floor.
Attorney: Were you ever affiliated with Cedars-Sinai in any way?
Doctor: I completed my OB-GYN residency there in 2010 and remained on staff. I’m not employed by Cedars, but I’m affiliated. I admit all my patients to that hospital.
Attorney: On the fifth floor of that building in 2018, were there any cameras in the hallways outside your office?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did your office sometimes make special arrangements for celebrity clients for privacy or security?
Doctor: We do.
Attorney: In 2018, did you have open office hours on Saturdays?
Doctor: I worked Saturday office hours for about half a day, for around 10 years.
Attorney: To your knowledge, did anyone else in the building have Saturday office hours?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: In February 2018, did the building have a building office?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: Do you know what floor that was on?
Doctor: The fourth floor.
Attorney: Did the building have a receptionist?
Doctor: Not a receptionist.

Attorney: Do you recall an incident in February 2018 where there was an argument with a security guard?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: Is that security guard in the courtroom today?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: Could you point her out, please?
Doctor: (Identifies Ms. Ellis.)
Attorney: How did you learn of the incident?
Doctor: I was in my office, and then I heard a lot of yelling, so I immediately got up, ran down the hall, and went out into the hallway.
Attorney: Do you have a clear memory of what happened next?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: Any particular reason why your memory is clear?
Doctor: It’s never happened before.

Attorney: What did you do after you went down the hall toward the yelling?
Doctor: As soon as I got into the hallway and realized what was going on, my receptionist was between the plaintiff and the defendant. There was a lot of yelling and finger-pointing. At one point, my receptionist was struck—not hard, but I remember it being on the shoulder. I think it was her right shoulder. The security guard had a phone in her hand and kept moving it back and forth from her ear to pointing. At one point, both hands were kind of flailing—not closed fists or anything like that, more like swatting.
Attorney: Did your receptionist show you a cut on her forehead afterward?
Doctor: I believe so, but it was very minor.
Attorney: What is the receptionist’s name—the one who came between Ms. Ellis and Cardi B?
Doctor: Tiara.
Attorney: Where exactly did this take place? In your office or in the hallway?
Doctor: The main hallway of the fifth floor, just outside the elevator.
Attorney: After seeing what you described, what did you do next?
Doctor: I tried to de-escalate the situation, separate the two, and get our security guard back in the elevator and off the floor.
Attorney: Do you remember what you said while trying to de-escalate?
Doctor: I remember repeatedly trying to match the intensity with body language, trying to get across the point that this was not okay and saying, “This is your job.”
Attorney: Who did you address that to?
Doctor: Ms. Ellis.
Attorney: Did she respond?
Doctor: I don’t remember specifically. There was a lot of name-calling and threats going back and forth, but my main goal was to get her back into the elevator.
Attorney: How did you manage to get her into the elevator?
Doctor: I kept repeating myself. I can’t remember if I was holding the elevator door open, but I do remember pushing the button and trying to get her back on it.
Attorney: Did you come between your receptionist and Cardi B on one side and Ms. Ellis on the other?
Doctor: I think I was to the side.
Attorney: What did you say to get Ms. Ellis into the elevator?
Doctor: I told her to stop and to do her job.
Attorney: Did you say that repeatedly?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: Did you say it loudly?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: What was Ms. Ellis doing while you were saying that?
Doctor: She was yelling and pointing. By that point, there was enough distance between them that there were no longer any gestures that could be seen as violent.
Attorney: Had Cardi B and Tiara gone back into your office by then?
Doctor: Yes, as soon as Ms. Ellis stepped back on the elevator, Cardi and Tiara went back into my office.
Attorney: Were you ever face to face with Ms. Ellis?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: How close were you?
Doctor: Within a foot.
Attorney: Did you see any scratches, cuts, or blood on her face?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you see any injury at all on her face?
Doctor: None.
Attorney: Did you see any spit or fluid on her?
Doctor: No.

Attorney: During the incident, did you hear Ms. Ellis say, “I will fuck your shit up”?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: At any time, did you see Cardi B spit on Ms. Ellis?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you see Cardi B spit on anyone?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you see Cardi B take a swing at or hit the plaintiff?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you see Cardi B scratch or cut her with a fingernail?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you see Cardi B threaten to get the plaintiff fired?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you hear Cardi B call the plaintiff the n-word?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you hear her call the plaintiff fat or poor?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you see the plaintiff hit your receptionist?
Doctor: Yes.
Attorney: Plaintiff testified that she was “just focused on getting downstairs.” Is that consistent with what you saw?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Why not?
Doctor: It took me 30 to 45 seconds to get her back on the elevator.

Attorney: After you got her in the elevator, what did you do?
Doctor: I went back into my office.
Attorney: Did you examine Cardi B that day?
Doctor: Yes, I saw her in a patient room.
Attorney: Did she have 3-inch nails on her fingers?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: How do you know that?
Doctor: I make a point of noticing people’s fingernails. It helps lighten the room before an exam, especially a Pap smear. I often comment on nail color or style. I notice nail trends—it just stands out to me.

Attorney: To your knowledge, did Cardi B complain to the building about the plaintiff’s conduct?
Doctor: No.
Attorney: Did you take steps to notify the building?
Doctor: Yes. I called our practice administrator that day and said, based on what I saw from the security guard, she needed to go. Then on Monday morning, my administrator took Tiara down to make a statement, and the building took it from there.

Attorney: Thank you. That’s all the questions I have.