Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend, Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, sued the reggaeton star for $40 million in March 2023, alleging he used a voice recording she made in 2015 on two of his songs without her permission. The lawsuit was filed in Puerto Rico and, as of early 2026, is still pending after an appellate court allowed her central claim to move forward.
Who Carliz De La Cruz Is and How the Recording Happened
De La Cruz and Bad Bunny, whose legal name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, began dating in 2011 while both were students at the University of Puerto Rico. They were reportedly engaged in January 2016 before separating that May, with a brief reconciliation in 2017 before splitting for good.1Pitchfork. Bad Bunny Sued by Ex-Girlfriend for Using Her Voice Memo in Songs Without Permission During the relationship, De La Cruz helped manage parts of his early career, handling contracts, invoices, and scheduling.
In 2015, at Bad Bunny’s request, she recorded herself saying “Bad Bunny, baby” in a breathy voice. According to the lawsuit, she made the recording on her phone in a bathroom and sent it to him.2NBC News. Bad Bunny’s Former Girlfriend Files Lawsuit Seeking $40M Over Voice Recording That clip later appeared on two songs: “Pa Ti,” released in 2016 or 2017, and “Dos Mil 16,” a track on his 2022 album Un Verano Sin Ti.3Los Angeles Times. Bad Bunny Ex-Girlfriend $40 Million Lawsuit
What the Lawsuit Claims
De La Cruz filed her complaint in Puerto Rico in March 2023, naming Bad Bunny, his record label Rimas Entertainment, and his manager Noah Kamil Assad Byrne as defendants.4The FADER. Bad Bunny Voice Memo Lawsuit She sought at least $40 million in damages, arguing that her “distinguishable voice” had been used for commercial purposes across songs, promotions, concerts, television, radio, and social media without her consent.5CNBC. Bad Bunny Sued by Ex-Girlfriend Over Voice Recording
The complaint describes a failed negotiation in 2022. Representatives for Bad Bunny and Rimas Entertainment separately contacted De La Cruz before the release of Un Verano Sin Ti, offering her $2,000 for the rights to the recording. She declined and told a representative she was not comfortable with the recording being used. The album came out anyway, with “Dos Mil 16” featuring her voice.6BBC. Bad Bunny Sued by Ex-Girlfriend Over Voice Recording
The complaint characterized the defendants’ conduct as “gross negligence” and “bad faith” and described the exposure as an “attack on her privacy, morals, and dignity.” De La Cruz said the public attention and social media reaction left her feeling “worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed, and anxious.”1Pitchfork. Bad Bunny Sued by Ex-Girlfriend for Using Her Voice Memo in Songs Without Permission Bad Bunny and his representatives have not made any public statement about the lawsuit, and no public defense has been reported in the press.7Court TV. Bad Bunny’s Ex-Girlfriend Files Lawsuit Seeking $40M
The Legal Theory Behind the Case
The lawsuit rests on Puerto Rico’s “Ley del Derecho sobre la Propia Imagen” (Law of the Right to Own Image), enacted as Law No. 139 of July 13, 2011. The statute defines “image” broadly, covering a person’s name, photograph, portrait, voice, signature, or any representation that identifies them to an average observer or listener.8Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico. Ley Núm. 139 de 13 de Julio de 2011 Anyone who uses another person’s image for commercial or advertising purposes without prior consent is liable for damages, which can include lost royalties, economic losses, or profits earned by the infringer. For intentional violations or gross negligence, courts may award up to three times those amounts, or statutory damages as high as $100,000 per violation.
Copyright would have been a weaker route. U.S. courts have generally held that a voice itself is not copyrightable, and short phrases typically do not qualify as “original works of authorship” under Section 102 of the Copyright Act. In Midler v. Ford Motor Co. (1988), the court held that while a voice is “as distinctive as a face,” the legal protection runs through the right of publicity rather than copyright.9Arizona Law Review. AI Voice Cloning and the Right of Publicity Puerto Rico’s image-rights statute codifies that kind of claim.
Where the Case Stands Now
Shortly after De La Cruz filed in Puerto Rico state court, Rimas Entertainment removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico on April 5, 2023. De La Cruz moved to send it back on May 5, 2023, and on March 31, 2024, Judge Jay A. Garcia-Gregory granted the remand. The case returned to the Court of First Instance in San Juan on April 1, 2024.10CourtListener. De La Cruz-Hernandez v. Rimas Entertainment, LLC
Back in the Puerto Rico courts, the case produced a significant appellate decision on February 14, 2025. The Court of Appeals of Puerto Rico ruled that the phrase “Bad Bunny, baby” is not original or creative enough to be protected under author moral rights. At the same time, the court allowed De La Cruz’s claims regarding the commercial use of her voice under the image-rights statute to move forward.11Midpage. De La Cruz Hernandez, Carliz – Court of Appeals of Puerto Rico The appellate court also ordered the dismissal of manager Noah Assad Byrne as an individual defendant, finding that the complaint lacked specific allegations tying him personally to actionable conduct beyond his corporate role.12Midpage. De La Cruz Hernandez, Carliz v. Rimas Entertainment LLC Claims tied to “Pa Ti” were found to be time-barred, leaving “Dos Mil 16” as the primary track still at issue.
As of February 2026, the lawsuit remains pending in Puerto Rico’s state court system. Neither party has disclosed an outcome or any settlement.13Diario AS. Who Is Bad Bunny’s Ex-Girlfriend Carliz De La Cruz
A Second Voice-Recording Lawsuit
De La Cruz’s case is no longer the only one of its kind. On January 5, 2026, a woman named Tainaly Y. Serrano Rivera filed a separate $16 million lawsuit against Bad Bunny, producer Roberto Rosado (known as La Paciencia), and Rimas Entertainment in Puerto Rico.14Rolling Stone. Bad Bunny Lawsuit Over Songs on Debí Tirar Más Fotos and X 100pre Serrano Rivera alleges her voice appears on two tracks, “Solo de Mí” from the 2018 album X 100pre and “EoO” from the 2025 album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, both featuring her saying, “Mira, puñeta, no me quiten el perreo.”
She says she recorded the line in 2018 while she and Rosado were theater students at the Interamerican University of Arecibo, and that she was never told the recording would be used commercially and never signed any authorization.15USA Today. Bad Bunny Lawsuit Over Debí Tirar Más Fotos and X 100pre The suit invokes the same Puerto Rico image-rights law De La Cruz relied on.16El País. A Voice Recording Used Without Permission: Understanding the Million-Dollar Lawsuit Against Bad Bunny The defendants were called to appear in court in May 2026. Both the De La Cruz and Serrano Rivera cases are handled by the same plaintiff’s attorneys, Jose M. Marxuach Fagot and Joanna Bocanegra Ocasio.14Rolling Stone. Bad Bunny Lawsuit Over Songs on Debí Tirar Más Fotos and X 100pre