Nicki Minaj has been dropped from a harassment lawsuit placed by her husband Kenneth Petty’s attempted rape victim Jennifer Hough. TMZ reported on Wednesday (Jan 12.) that Hough and her legal team voluntarily dismissed the claims against Minaj “without prejudice,” according to court documents. Petty is still named in the ongoing lawsuit.
“What they tried to do to Nicki was disgraceful. They finally realized that they had to surrender without Nicki paying a penny. And now, Nicki and I are going to make them pay for this in the courts,” said Judd Burstein, Minaj’s attorney to Vulture.
“We have the right, under the law, to seek what are known as sanctions, which would require them to pay Nicki’s legal fees—which are substantial,” he continued.
In 1995, Petty was convicted on one count of attempted rape in the first degree, assault in the second degree, unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon, relating to an attack on Hough. Although he was found guilty of attempted rape, Hough claims the rape did happen.
Earlier this month, Minaj and Petty avoided a default judgment in the $20 million lawsuit. The “Barbie Dreams” rapper also defended herself against allegations of gang ties, bribery, intimidation, and coercion. Hough and her legal team presented a video of the couple in Queens as evidence.
“I was quickly surrounded by my fans, particularly in this instance because my pink Rolls Royce was in the direct sightline of apartment buildings across the street from where I had stopped,” Minaj explained. “Neither I, my husband, nor anyone I knew made any ‘gang’ signs that night. I did not mention [Hough] or this case that night. Nor did I hear anyone, including my husband, mention [Hough] or this case that night.”
A TMZ source shared with the outlet that there was no financial settlement reached to make the lawsuit against Minaj go away.