Bad Bunny is being sued by his ex girlfriend for $40 million

Grammy-winning Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is apparently a little bit badder than originally thought. At least, that’s what his ex-girlfriend is claiming in a new lawsuit filed in the American territory, claiming that he unlawfully and without permission used her voice in two of his hit songs.

Carliz de la Cruz Hernández, who dated the rapper from 2011 to 2016, and then briefy again in 2017, claims in her suit that she recorded her breathy voice on her phone in 2015 for her then-boyfrend, saying “Bad Bunny, baby” which he then used in his 2017 single “Pa Ti” and the 2022 song “Dos Mil 16.” She is seeking $40 million in compensation.

The suit, according to the BBC, alleges that days before Bad Bunny's latest album “Un Verano Sin Ti” came out in 2022, she was offered $2000 to buy the rights to her voice recording, which she says she refused, yet the album and song was nevertheless released with her voice on it.

The Guardian is reporting that Pa Ti has more than 355m views on YouTube and more than 235m reproductions on Spotify. In addition, Dos Mil 16 has more than 60m views on YouTube and 280m reproductions on Spotify.

Saying that this use of her voice amounts to "gross negligence, bad faith and, worse still, an attack on her privacy, morals and dignity,” the lawsuit also states that, "this has caused, and currently causes, De La Cruz to feel worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious."

“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,’” it continues. "The situation for De La Cruz became unmanageable, to the point that she needed to contact multiple psychologists for help as soon as possible."

“All parties had and still have knowledge of these facts and even so decided to be reckless and break the law,” a translation of the lawsuit states, per Pitchfork. “Likewise, the publication of the song ‘Dos Mil 16’ without the consent of Carliz was carried out intentionally, in bad faith and for profit.”

The news of this suit has caused an outpouring of support for De La Cruz on Twitter, where many point out that she is well-deserving of the $40 million, and some even allege that Bad Bunny  (legal name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) was unfaithful to her, despite all that she did for him by way of support.

Bad Bunny has yet to publicly comment on the suit at press time.