Nicki Minaj’s lawyer has threatened her husband’s alleged rape victim and her attorney with court sanctions, claiming the pair filed a “disgraceful” lawsuit to get rich and famous.
In 1994, Jennifer Hough accused the female rapper’s husband, Kenneth Petty, of forcing her to have sex. Petty served over four years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape as part of his plea deal.
Earlier this year, Hough sued Minaj and her husband, accusing them of trying to harass and intimidate her into withdrawing her testimony before the upcoming trial.
In response, Minaj’s attorney sent a letter to Hough’s lawyer, Tyrone A. Blackburn, threatening court sanctions for them both because, he claims, the suit is full of obvious mistruths, Page Six reported.
Judges have the authority to make attorneys and their clients pay fines or impose other forms of punishment, known as sanctions, for failing to abide by procedures or abusing the justice system.
Minaj’s attorney Judd Burstein said, “This case is a disgrace, filed by a lawyer who, in pursuit of some cheap publicity, rushed to file [papers] asserting outlandishly false allegations against [Minaj] which have absolutely no support in the law.”
Burstein then accused Hough of adding Minaj into the case because she was looking for monetary gain.
“[Minaj] has been sued by [Hough] for the ‘crime’ of being a rich celebrity — capable of paying a judgment — who fell in love with and married Mr. Petty,” he wrote.
The alleged victim previously appeared on the talk show “The Real,” in which she doubled down on her claims that Minaj, 38, and Petty, 43, had tried to pay to withdraw her rape claim.
Hough said the “Super Bass” rapper had once reached out to her “in regards to helping her, helping them in this situation,” but after declining the offer, she said she started to receive “threats.”
“The last incident was when one of their associates put $20,000 on my lap,” Hough claimed. “And I still kept saying no. The last message I received was that I should have taken the money because they’re going to use that money to put on my head.”
