Nicki Minaj earned a victory in the ongoing harassment case brought by Jennifer Hough on Wednesday after Hough filed to have the harassment claim against Nicki dismissed.
The Notice of Voluntary Dismissal was filed by Hough’s attorney Tyrone Blackburn on January 12 and did not give a reason for the move by Hough, who initially sued Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty, who she says harassed her and threatened her to change her statement that Petty had raped her when she was 16.
Hough’s move might, however, have something to do with Nicki’s lawyer Judd Burstein writing to judge James Cho seeking that Hough’s filing after January 11 be declared a nullity because Hough failed to meet a December 8, 2021 deadline set by the judge. Hough failed to comply with the judge’s December order for which a deadline was set for January 11, 2022.
“Plaintiff’s frivolous motion for a default judgment is predicated upon a claim that no leniency on due dates should be granted to Defendant because “this case is whether fame or fortune make one immune to the law”, Burstein’s letter to the judge read.
That particular reference is to the fact that the Petty’s filed a defense late and which led to Jennifer Hough’s attorney filing for default judgment and asking the court not to grant them an extension to file a defense.
Nicki Minaj’s lawyer added Hough should not be allowed to benefit from late filing as she intentionally failed to follow a court order.
“I agree that Defendant is not entitled to special treatment because of her wealth and fame, although she has never made that claim. By the same token though, plaintiff also is not ‘immune to the law’ because she is suing someone who is a celebrity. By failing to submit her reply papers on time without even an explanation or my consent to an extension of the due date, the plaintiff has intentionally failed to comply with a court order- a failure far more serious and inexcusable than a late response to a complaint.”
Meanwhile, Hough’s Lawyer, in a statement to the Shaderoom, said that the case against Kenneth Petty is, however, still active. He also said that the dismissal doesn’t mean Nicki Minaj won’t be involved in the case going forward.
According to Blackburn, Hough is accusing Nicki of contacting her personally in 2020 and offering her money to fly her to Los Angeles. Hough says Minaj and her associates continuously harassed her by offering to pay her money to change her statement.
In the meantime, Minaj has not directly responded to the move to remove her as a defendant in the case, but she did post a unicorn emoji which signifies her Barbz army.
She also liked a tweet quoting her lyrics, “I don’t gotta talk the Lord defends me.”
Nicki Minaj also shared a clip from her movie The Other Woman with Cameron Diaz as she continues to react to her latest court victory.
