The singer's ex is suing over a voice recording she claims he's used in his music without her permission.
Bad Bunny's ex-girlfriend is taking the artist to court over a recording of her voice, which she claims he has used in past songs, according to multiple reports.
Bad Bunny's ex, Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, filed a $40 million lawsuit in a Puerto Rican court earlier this month, claiming that the singer used a recording of her voice, saying "Bad Bunny, baby," in at least two songs without permission.
As first reported by Puerto Rican news outlet NotiCel, as well as The Guardian, De La Cruz's lawsuit claims her "distinguishable voice" has been used in Bad Bunny songs -- including 2016's "Pa Ti" and 2022's "Dos Mil 16" -- as well as in promotional material, in concerts and on different music platforms.
"Since then, thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about the 'Bad Bunny, baby,'" the lawsuit alleges. "This has caused, and currently causes, that De La Cruz feels worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious."
De La Cruz and Bad Bunny -- whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio -- began dating in 2011, and in her lawsuit she claims that the singer asked her to record herself saying the now-famous phrase, "Bad Bunny baby," for him to use while mixing his songs.
The lawsuit states that the pair broke up in 2016, then briefly reconciled in 2017 before splitting up for good. De La Cruz claims that a representative for Bad Bunny contacted her in May 2022, and offered her $2,000 for the rights to the recording, which she turned down.
De La Cruz claims that she was once again contacted by Rimas Music, Bad Bunny's label, who again offered to buy the rights to the recording for "Dos Mil 16," off his Un Verano Sin Ti album. She claims she again never authorized the use of her voice recording, which she claims was subsequently used anyway.
"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," 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."
ET has reached out to Bad Bunny's reps for comment.
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