Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, could owe $15 million for defaulting on a lawsuit by Jennifer Hough, his former sexual assault victim.
In August, Hough filed a lawsuit against Minaj and Petty that claimed the two harassed and threatened her. They wanted to retract her story that Petty had sexually assaulted her.
Although retracting would do little for the two because Petty pleaded guilty to attempted rape and served time in prison, they allegedly would not let up and drove Hough to seek legal remedies in the situation.
It seems, however, that while Minaj was talking about her cousin’s friend’s testicles online, she should have been staying apprised of her legal obligations.
Hollywood Unlocked revealed that neither of the named defendants has responded to Hough’s filings.
In the real world, not responding to a lawsuit against places a defendant on the road to a default judgment. In other words, they lose because they never answered.
Minaj and Petty were served on Sept. 13 and had 21 days to respond. They did not do so.
On Oct. 11, Hough filed a motion for a default judgment in her case.
Her attorney submitted the filing that reads, “Please enter the default of defendants Onika Tanya Maraj, and Kenneth Petty, AKA Zoo, pursuant to Rule 55(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for failure to plead or otherwise defend this action as fully appears from the court file herein and the attached affirmation of Tyrone A. Blackburn, Esq.”
This action pushes the couple’s proverbial glass closer to the edge.
Petty is expected to be sentenced in January after pleading guilty to failing to register as a sex offender in California.
While lawsuits are generally an unfortunate circumstance, this time, it’s rather poetic. Minaj’s history of being a rape apologist hardly makes her nor Petty sympathetic characters.
Ironically, she initially tried to coerce Hough by offering her $500,000 to recant, and now, she may end up having to pay her $15 million. Life is funny that way.
