Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend just scored a major victory in her $40 million legal battle over the now-famous “Bad Bunny, baby” voice note. The Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled that Carliz De La Cruz Hernández may pursue copyright and identity-rights claims involving the recording’s use on “Dos Mil 16,” a track from the superstar’s blockbuster 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
According to Rolling Stone, the court reversed an earlier dismissal of Hernández’s copyright claim, finding that her personal and recognizable vocal performance could potentially qualify for protection. Just as importantly, the majority determined that she presented enough facts to plausibly argue that Bad Bunny—real name: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—and Rimas Entertainment commercially exploited her identity without permission. One dissenting judge argued that both claims should have been dismissed.
At the center of the case are a few seconds of audio recorded long before Bad Bunny became one of the world’s biggest artists. Hernández says she recorded herself saying “Bad Bunny, baby” in a friend’s bathroom at his request in 2015.
The former couple began dating in 2011 while attending the University of Puerto Rico, reportedly became engaged in 2016, and briefly reconciled after separating. During their early years together, Hernández claims she also helped schedule performances and handle invoices and contracts as his career took shape.
According to the lawsuit, one of Bad Bunny’s representatives offered Hernández $2,000 for the recording in May 2022, shortly before Un Verano Sin Ti arrived. She declined, and no agreement was reached. Still, the voice note appeared on “Dos Mil 16.”
Hernández alleges it was subsequently used at concerts, on streaming platforms, on social media, on television, on radio, and in promotional campaigns. The exposure, her complaint said, left her feeling “worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious.”
The ruling was not a total win for Hernández. Although she can continue pursuing claims tied to “Dos Mil 16,” the court found that she waited too long to seek damages over the voice note’s appearance on Bad Bunny’s 2016 song “Pa Ti.” That portion of the case was barred by the statute of limitations.
