Following word last week that the harassment case centered on Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty hit a stage of back-and-forth between involved parties over a default judgment push, more recent court documents provide greater insight into how Minaj’s team is responding.
Namely, Minaj—as detailed in court documents dated Oct. 15 and viewed by Complex—is arguing that the failure to respond to the complaint in question in a timely fashion was “not willful.” According to the documents, attorney Judd Burstein was recommended to Minaj on Sept. 22. One day later, the two had a conversation via Zoom that ended with what Minaj described as her believing he had agreed to represent her.
As you’ll recall, Tyrone Blackburn—attorney for Petty’s accuser Jennifer Hough—said in court documents last week (notably surrounding stories focused on a potential $20 million default judgment) that the time for Minaj and Petty to formally respond to the complaint had expired. Minaj and Petty, Blackburn added, have allegedly targeted Hough and her family with a campaign of “bribery, intimidation, harassment, and stalking” as part of an effort to get her to walk back sexual assault claims against Petty.
In 1994, Hough accused Petty of raping her. He was convicted the following year.