It was not the result of inexperience or stress,” Judge Fusselman wrote in Wednesday’s ruling, obtained by Billboard. But after a September trial, it took jurors less than an hour of deliberations to reject the accusations and clear the star of all wrongdoing. In the wake of the verdict, Cardi’s team asked the judge to issue sanctions, or judicial punishment, over the gang question. Wednesday’s ruling is a win for Cardi, but it could have been much worse for Janfaza. The judge refused to issue harsher punitive sanctions and also declined to order him to repay Cardi’s legal bills — fines that could have been many times higher than $1,500.