It looks as if Nicki Minaj can now put one legal hurdle behind her. Jennifer Hough, the woman who accused Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty of raping her when she was a teen, sued Minaj back in August 2021 on allegations that she was harassing and intimidating her about the decades-old case. Petty took a plea deal and served prison time in connection with the 1990s case, but Hough recently claimed that Minaj and Petty were using their power and influence to intimidate her into silence.
The famous couple denied the allegations and on Wednesday (January 12), it was widely reported that Hough’s lawsuit against Minaj has been dismissed.
According to Billboard, there has yet to be a reason shared why Nicki would no longer be named in the case, however, the allegations against “Petty are still pending.” Additionally, it was stated that Hough could refile if she pleased.
“The case against Nicki was voluntarily dismissed,” Tyron Blackburn, Hough’s attorney, told Billboard. “The case against Kenneth Petty is still ongoing. Stay tuned!”
Back in September, Judd Burstein, counsel for the couple, called out Hough and her team by suggesting she was looking for a cash grab when they filed for a default judgment months ago.
“Believing that a celebrity with deep pockets, who is now married to Mr. Petty, would fear adverse publicity, plaintiff is attempting to extract money based on the 27 year old alleged incident,” said Burstein back in November 2021. “Plaintiff’s improper rush to obtain a default judgment against Mr. Petty and avoid resolution of this action on the merits further demonstrates that plaintiff is well aware that her claims lack merit.”
Watch Jennifer Hough’s previous appearance on The Real where she shared her side of the story. Nicki seemingly reacted to this news by tweeting a unicorn emoji.
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