Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty are currently facing a lawsuit from Jennifer Hough, who claims that, since getting married in 2019, the two have intimidated, bribed, and harassed her to change a past testimony in hopes of getting Perry removed from a sex offenders list. The harassment case has not yet started, but according to Rolling Stone, Minaj landed somewhat of a win, as it was ruled that she will not have to pay a $20 million default judgment in the case.
Earlier this week, Hough’s lawyer Tyrone Blackburn filed a motion on his client’s behalf alleging that Minaj and Perry failed to respond to the harassment case against them. However, a federal clerk for the Eastern District of New York ruled that Minaj did not fail to respond to the lawsuit, writing, “it appears” that she filed paperwork last week to hire a lawyer to defend her in the case. Despite this, the clerk noted that Petty “has not filed an answer or otherwise moved with respect to the complaint.”
Minaj delivered a sworn statement on October 15, stating that she hired a lawyer last month, but “innocent miscommunications” led to late payment fees and the inability to secure the attorney’s services. “My failure to respond to the complaint was the product of an innocent mistake, and I ask the court to excuse the delay so that I can defend what I believe to be an entirely frivolous case,” her statement read.
Judd Burstein, who will now represent Minaj in the case, shared a statement that aligned with her claims. “I confirm the truth of those portions of defendant’s declaration concerning my role in her failure to secure my services promptly,” he said.
Despite the ruling, Blackburn plans on defaulting the motion against Petty for the $20 million. “It’s interesting that Kenneth Petty is currently in the Eastern District of New York suing the state of New York, but he has no respect for this proceeding and no respect for this judge to come forward and to answer for raping Jennifer Hough in 1994 and all the harassment he and his wife and his goons visited upon her since then,” he told Rolling Stone.