Nicki Minaj
Prince Williams/FilmMagicNicki Minaj was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by a former employee, who accused the rapper of assault and battery.
Brandon Garrettwho claimed to be working as Minaj’s manager during her 2024 tour, sued Minaj, 42, according to court documents obtained by TMZ on Friday, Jan. 3. In the filing, Garrett claimed Minaj called him into her dressing room after an April 2024 concert in Detroit, where she was allegedly shocked to learn he asked someone else to pick up a prescription.
“(Another employee, Luke Montgomery) explained that his duties included such tasks as dressing room set-up, private jet set-up, hotel room set-up, refreshments in the express changing room and tour bus set-up,” the documents read. “Mr. Montgomery mentioned that these tasks were in addition to any requests from (Minaj) communicated by (Garrett), including orders for food, drinks, personal items, baby items and, most notably, prescriptions.
Garrett reportedly explained to Minaj that he was preoccupied with another task during the show and needed another assistant to perform the task. Upon hearing his reasoning, Minaj is allegedly “visibly upset” and “screaming angrily” at him. She apparently said, “Are you crazy about him taking my prescription?” and “If my husband (Kenneth Petty) was here, he’d knock your teeth out.”
Garrett further claimed that Minaj then “openly slapped” him on the right side of the face and then on the right wrist. Hours later, Garrett claimed another employee on Minaj’s team told him he would no longer be joining her team for stopping her tour in Chicago.
Minaj has denied Garrett’s allegations through her lawyer. Us Weekly has been contacted for comment.
“At this time, no complaint has been filed against Ms. Petty and therefore we are not aware of the specific allegations,” Minaj’s lawyer said. Judd Burstein said Variety in a statement. “However, if the lawsuit is as reported by TMZ, it is completely false and frivolous. We are confident that the case brought by this former assistant will be resolved expeditiously in Ms. Petty’s favor.”
Minaj is a rapper who broke into the music industry with the release of her album in 2010 Pink Friday. She has had several ups and downs throughout her career, including an arrest in 2024 in Amsterdam.
During the international leg of her tour, Minaj claimed she was stopped by the police after apparently marijuana pre-rolls were found in her luggage.
“They’ve been trying to stop me from coming to every show,” Minaj wrote on Instagram in May 2024. “They took my bags before I saw them. Put them on the plane. Now they’re waiting at customs. This is what it looks like when ppl get paid before big to try to sabotage a tournament after all else has failed. Everything they’ve done is illegal.”
Minaj claimed the drugs belonged to her security guards and she was released hours later.
“We have just released a 41-year-old American woman who we arrested this afternoon at Schiphol on suspicion of exporting soft drugs,” the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said in a statement X, apparently referring to Minaj. “After consultation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect has been fined and can continue her journey.”