receptionist

Cardi B returned to the witness stand on Wednesday in a civil suit brought by a security guard who alleged that the rapper assaulted her — even scratching her with one of her nail extensions — in a 2018 incident in the hallway outside a Beverly Hills obstetrician’s office.

On Wednesday, the performer blasted the plaintiff, saying she is looking for a payout. Emani Ellis is seeking $24 million. Cardi B said the pair went chest-to-chest and exchanged heated words but nothing more.

Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, reiterated in her testimony that she never touched, scratched or spat at the security guard, who she believed was taking video of her with her cellphone.

Her defense got a boost Wednesday with the testimony of the obstetrician with whom the then-4-months-pregnant rapper had an appointment on the day of the incident — Feb. 24, 2018 — as well as from his receptionist.

Receptionist Tierra Malcolm told jurors that she saw Ellis corner Cardi B — and then, when the receptionist got between them, the guard reached for the rapper. The receptionist said she ended up with a cut on her own forehead.

Dr. David Finke testified that he saw the guard cause that injury and also hit the receptionist’s shoulder. He further said that Ellis had no injuries to her face. Both testified they never saw Cardi B hit Ellis.

But the rapper testified that when a doctor’s staffer asked Ellis that day what had occurred, Ellis said, “The b— just hit me.’ … And I’m, like, so confused because … I didn’t hit you.”

Under cross-examination by Ellis’ attorney, the rapper acknowledged she and Ellis were chest-to-chest as expletives were traded.

Ellis filed suit in 2020, alleging assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress as well as negligence and false imprisonment.

She worked as a security guard at the building where Cardi B had her medical appointment and said during testimony on Monday that she was doing her rounds when she saw the celebrity get off the elevator. She testified that she was overcome with excitement and declared, “Wow, it’s Cardi B.”

Ellis alleged that the performer then turned to her and said, “Why the f— are you telling people you’ve seen me?” Cardi B then accused her of trying to spread news about her being at the doctor’s office, she testified.

Cardi B cursed at her, used the N-word and other slurs, called her names, threatened her job, body-shamed her and mocked her career, Ellis said. She alleged Cardi B spat on her, took a swing at her and scratched her left cheek with a 2- to 3-inch fingernail.

The rapper said during Wednesday’s court proceedings that she’s 5 foot 3 and was 130 pounds and pregnant at the time. She wouldn’t have tried to fight the guard, who was far larger, she said.

Asked if she was “disabled” during the incident, Cardi B’s comments drew laughter in the courtroom: “At that moment, when you’re pregnant, I’m very disabled,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “You want me to tell you the things I can’t do?”

Malcolm said that Cardi B was the lone patient visiting the office that day as it had been closed for her privacy.

When the incident occurred, the receptionist said, “I really just saw Ms. Ellis in front of her and that’s what made me rush and get in between.” Malcolm acknowledged that she did not see the entire interaction between the pair.

When she got between them, Malcolm testified she was facing Ellis, who was reaching with her arms. Malcolm said she suffered a cut to her forehead during the incident.

“Cardi B was behind me. The only assumption I had was that it was from Ms. Ellis as she was facing me,” she testified. “I see her hands trying to reach over me.”

Asked if Cardi B could have caused the injury with one of her nails, she replied, “But she was behind me.” She said it was a nurse who noticed the cut to her forehead.

The doctor said he was “just flabbergasted with the allegations that don’t seem congruent with what i saw that day.”

Following the incident, he said he eventually persuaded Ellis to get on the elevator and leave the floor.

Cardi B testified Wednesday that her social media followers alerted her that the guard had gone online about the incident, where she responded, calling the accusations lies.

The defense ended at the end of Wednesday’s session.

For the third day of the trial, the rapper, known for her daring style choices, donned a long black wig. The first day of the trial, she sported short black hair, followed the next day by a blond showgirl hairstyle.

Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio station’s empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy “WKRP in Cincinnati,” died Sunday, just days before her 80th birthday.

Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a “prolonged” illness, said her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.

“WKRP in Cincinnati” aired from 1978 to 1982 and was set in a flagging Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music. The cast included Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner and Jan Smithers, alongside Anderson as the sexy and smart Jennifer Marlowe.

As the station’s receptionist, the blond and high-heeled Jennifer used her sex appeal to deflect unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr. Carlson. Her efficiency often kept the station running in the face of others’ incompetence.

The role earned Anderson two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations.

Anderson starred on the big screen alongside Burt Reynolds in the 1983 comedy “Stroker Ace,” and the two later married and became tabloid fixtures before their messy breakup in 1994.

Their son, Quinton Reynolds, was “the best decision that we ever made in our entire relationship,” she said during the unveiling of a bronze bust at Reynolds’ Hollywood grave site in 2021.

“I think back to the beginning of our relationship, it was so, oh, gosh, tabloidy. We were just a spectacle all the time. And it was hard to have a relationship in that atmosphere. And somehow, we did it through many ups and downs,” Anderson told The Associated Press.

Anderson detailed their tumultuous marriage in the 1995 autobiography “My Life in High Heels,” which she said was about “the growth of a woman, a woman who survives.”

“I think if you’re going to write about yourself, you have to do it warts and all,” Anderson told the AP while promoting the book. “You may not even tell the nicest things about yourself, because you’re telling the truth.”

She married four times, most recently to Bob Flick in 2008.

Anderson was born Aug. 5, 1945, in Saint Paul, Minn. Her father was an environmental chemist, and her mother was a model.

Her first role as an actress was a small part in the 1966 film “Nevada Smith,” starring Steve McQueen. Most of her career was spent on the small screen, with early guest parts in the 1970s on “S.W.A.T.” and “Police Woman.” After “WKRP,” Anderson starred in the short-lived comedy series “Easy Street” and appeared in made-for-TV movies including “A Letter to Three Wives” and “White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd.”

In 2023 she co-starred in Lifetime’s “Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas” with Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Morgan Fairchild and Nicollette Sheridan.

Anderson is survived by Flick, her daughter Deidra and son-in law Charlie Hoffman, son Quinton Anderson Reynolds, grandchildren McKenzie and Megan Hoffman, stepson Adam Flick and wife Helene, and step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian.

A private family service is planned at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Kagan said.