Nicki Minaj Addresses Delay in Responding to Harassment Lawsuit

Nicki Minaj is revealing why she didn’t respond to the harassment lawsuit filed against her and her husband, Kenneth Petty.

In legal documents, obtained by Complex, the rapper says her failure to formally respond to the complaint in a timely matter was an “innocent mistake.”

In August, Petty’s attempted rape victim, Jennifer Hough, sued the couple over alleged harassment and intimidation tactics, claiming that one of Minaj’s associates offered her a $20,000 bribe in order to get her to recant her rape claims. Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995 and had to register as a sex offender as a result.

Hough’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, said last week that the time for Minaj and Petty to formally respond to the complaint had expired. An attorney named Judd Burstein was recommended to Minaj on Sept. 22. After speaking on Zoom the following day, Minaj believed that Burstein had agreed to represent her, however, he was not formally retained until later.

“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 which [Blackburn’s] counsel has brought against me in an effort to use my name to generate publicity for himself,” she said.

Minaj also denied that her husband was served with a copy of the summons and complaint. The process server is reported as having served the legal documents to a “Black male, 40 years old, 200 lbs.” with black hair and brown eyes.

“In fact, my husband is approximately 5’9” tall and weighs no more than 175 pounds,” Minaj said in the documents. “Further, there is no person who resides in our house or who was present there on September 15, 2021, who fits the description contained in the affidavit of service.”

Burstein describes Nicki as the “proverbial ‘deep pocket’” and is seeking a motion to dismiss the amended complaint.