Bad Bunny’s college sweetheart is coming for his coins after filing a $40 million lawsuit in Puerto Rico this month, claiming the chart-topper had used an unauthorized voice memo of her on several of his songs — and she rightfully wants to be compensated for it. Carliz de la Cruz Hernández accuses Bunny of using a recording where she’s heard saying “Bad Bunny, baby,” on the tracks “Pa Ti” and “Dos Mil 16,” despite her having refused to give him permission for the voice memo when his team first approached her for clearance.
The former couple began dating in 2011 and attended the University of Puerto Rico together, the lawsuit explains, but by 2017, they had officially called it quits. When Bunny’s representative reached out to get permission for the use of the voice note, Hernández claims she was offered $2,000 which she respectfully turned down, asking to discuss a contract for licensing her voice instead. She would later meet up with Bunny’s representative to hear the song with the recording on it, where she once again refused to clear the audio because she didn’t feel comfortable and an agreement still hadn’t been reached.
if I were bad bunny’s ex gf I would definitely sue too, that “bad bunny baby” line in his songs is so iconic
— Rosa Rodriguez (@rosaarodd) March 21, 2023
RELATED: Is It Giving? Coachella 2023 Lineup Announced With Bad Bunny, Frank Ocean & BlackPink Headlining
But Bunny apparently wasn’t going to be shut down by his ex in preventing him from including the voice memo on his songs. Multiple contracts were sent out to Hernández just one day before the release of the album, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” in a last-minute attempt to clear the recordings but the legal paperwork was “excessively comprehensive.” The lawsuit continues, “Since de la Cruz made it clear that she did not consent to its use, its publication constituted an act of gross negligence, bad faith, and, worse still, an attack on their privacy, morals, and dignity.
“Since all parties had and still have knowledge of these facts and even so decided to be reckless and break the law. Likewise, the publication of the song ‘Dos Mil 16’ without the consent of Carliz was carried out intentionally, in bad faith, and for profit.”
Hernández is seeking $40 million in damages, with her attorneys saying she has been left feeling anguished, worried, intimidated, overwhelmed, and anxious, considering Bunny is one of the biggest artists in the world and his songs are in heavy rotation across the globe. “Pa Ti” has attracted over 235 million views on YouTube while “Dos Mil 16” amassed a whopping 280 million streams on Spotify and another 60 million views on YouTube.
bad bunny ex girlfriend taking him to court AHH GET HIM !!!!
— es (@gojobam) March 20, 2023
RELATED: Twitter Reacts To Kendall Jenner & Bad Bunny Seemingly Kissing After Sushi Date In Weho
Needless to say, both tracks where Hernández claims to hear her voice fared exceptionally well on the charts — not to mention that the tracks have also been featured in ads, musical platforms, on TV, and radio. So it’s only fair that Bunny’s ex gets a percentage of the royalties made from the success of the songs, no?