Nicki Minaj and husband sued by sex assault victim
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A woman who accused rapper Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, of sexual assault in 1994 is suing the couple (both above) for alleged harassment and witness intimidation, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress.
PHOTO: NICKIMINAJ/INSTAGRAM
NEW YORK • A woman who accused rapper Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, of sexual assault during high school filed a lawsuit against the couple last Friday, alleging that they harassed and intimidated her while trying to convince her to recant her account.
The case dates back to 1994, when Ms Jennifer Hough, then 16, reported to the police that Petty - a 16-year-old she had known growing up in Queens - had raped her after leading her into a home at knifepoint, the lawsuit says.
Petty was arrested and charged with first-degree rape, and subsequently pleaded guilty to attempted rape, said Ms Kim Livingston, a spokesman with the Queens district attorney's office. He served about 41/2 years in prison, according to inmate records.
According to the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in Eastern New York, Ms Hough, 43, and her family members started to receive communications from people claiming to be connected with Minaj and Petty shortly after he was arrested last year for failing to register as a sex offender in California.
The lawsuit alleges harassment and witness intimidation, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress by Minaj and Petty, and seeks unspecified damages. It also alleges sexual assault and battery, referring to the mid-1990s case.
The lawsuit says that an intermediary offered Ms Hough US$20,000 (S$27,000) in exchange for signing a prepared statement recanting the accusation. At one point last year, the lawsuit says, Minaj called Ms Hough, saying she had heard that Ms Hough was willing to "help out".
Days later, it says, Ms Hough and her family members received an "onslaught of harassing calls and unsolicited visits" from people she believed to be associated with the couple.
Ms Hough "has not worked since May 2020 due to severe depression, paranoia, constant moving, harassment and threats from the defendants and their associates", the lawsuit says. "She is currently living in isolation out of fear of retaliation."
NYTIMES
