Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty
A judge ruled against Nicki Minaj’s attempt to sanction the lawyer of her husband’s rape accuser.
The latest update in the tumultuous case extends the legal battle against the couple and Jennifer Hough, who accused Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty of sexual assault. Judge James R. Cho’s ruling came on March 30, according to All Hip Hop. The presiding official denied sanctioning Hough’s lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, after the Queens rapper claimed the attorney defamed her.
“The court does not find [Hough’s] decision to pursue a motion for default judgment against [Minaj] sanctionable, notwithstanding [Minaj’s] claim that the motion lacked merit,” Cho stated. “Here, [Hough] did not have an obligation to withdraw her motion for default judgment against [Minaj] simply because counsel for [Minaj] considered the motion ‘frivolous.'”
The rapper’s legal team reportedly argued that Blackburn’s actions toward Minaj and her lawyer Judd Burstein were “creepy” and “weird.” She said Hough’s attorney subjected her to a smear campaign that cost $300,000 to defend.
One of Blackburn’s alleged claims was that Minaj and her husband were members of New York City’s Mac Baller Brims gang.
Judge Cho said he didn’t cosign Blackburn’s actions.
“Blackburn should not take the denial of the motion for sanctions as in any way endorsing his behavior.”
The legal back and forth stems from Hough’s allegation that Petty raped her in 1994, when they were both teenagers.
The rapper’s husband pled guilty to attempted rape charges and served four years in prison. In November 2021, he maintained his innocence in court documents.
His accuser filed a $20 million harassment lawsuit in August 2021 that claimed the Pettys tried to intimidate her into recanting her allegations.
Hough voluntarily dropped the “Anaconda” rapper from the New-York based case in January 2022. Petty and the plaintiff are working with a court-appointed mediator to settle.
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