Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend has secured a significant win in her $40 million legal dispute over the now-iconic “Bad Bunny, baby” voice note. The Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled that Carliz De La Cruz Hernández can move forward with her copyright and identity-rights claims tied to the recording’s use on “Dos Mil 16,” a track from the superstar’s hit 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
According to Rolling Stone, the court overturned a previous decision dismissing Hernández’s copyright claim, concluding that her distinctive vocal performance could potentially qualify for legal protection. The majority also found that she presented sufficient facts to support her allegation that Bad Bunny—whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—and Rimas Entertainment commercially used her identity without her consent. One justice dissented, arguing that both claims should have been thrown out.
The case centers on a brief audio clip recorded years before Bad Bunny rose to global fame. Hernández says she recorded herself saying “Bad Bunny, baby” in a friend’s bathroom in 2015 after he asked her to do so.
The former couple began dating in 2011 while attending the University of Puerto Rico. They reportedly got engaged in 2016 and later rekindled their relationship for a short period after splitting up. Hernández also claims she played a role in the early stages of Bad Bunny’s career by helping organize performances and manage invoices and contracts.
According to the lawsuit, one of Bad Bunny’s representatives offered Hernández $2,000 for the recording in May 2022, just before Un Verano Sin Ti was released. She turned down the offer, and the parties never reached an agreement. Despite that, the voice note was included on “Dos Mil 16.”
Hernández alleges the recording was later featured at concerts, across streaming platforms, on social media, television, radio, and in promotional campaigns. In her complaint, she says the widespread use of the clip left her feeling “worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious.”
The decision was not a complete victory for Hernández. While she may continue pursuing claims related to “Dos Mil 16,” the court ruled that she waited too long to seek damages over the voice note’s use on Bad Bunny’s 2016 song “Pa Ti.” As a result, that portion of the lawsuit was dismissed under the statute of limitations.
Bad Bunny, Rimas Entertainment, and manager Noah Kamil Assad Byrne were all named as defendants in the original lawsuit filed in 2023.
