Jennifer Hough Drops Harrassment Suit Against Nicki Minaj

It appears the score is now 2-0 for Team Minaj when it comes to the ongoing legal battle between Nicki, her husband Kenneth Petty and Petty’s accuser in his 1994 sexual assault conviction, Jennifer Hough.

Complex reports that on Wednesday, Hough and her lawyer Tyrone Blackburn voluntarily dismissed the case against the Queen rapper but ensured that the case against Petty is still active. However, as stated in court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the suit was dismissed “without prejudice”: which means the entertainer could still end up being sued, just at a later time.

“The case was voluntarily dismissed as to Nicki in NY,” Blackburn said in a statement. “The case against Kenneth is ongoing. This does not mean that Nicki Minaj is in the clear. In fact, she’s probably in a worst position now than prior to when the case started. So, I would say, stay tuned.”

Whether that latter sentiment rings true or not remains to be seen, but what is clear is that this battle is far from over. As previously stated and reported by The Root, this makes the second win for Minaj following a prior ruling from a New York federal clerk that denied a $20 million default judgment for Hough back in October. Despite the court’s findings, Hough’s lawyer Tyrone Blackburn insisted at the time that they would continue to move forward with the default motion against Petty for the same amount.

In August of 2021, Hough filed a lawsuit against Minaj and Petty in which she alleged the couple attempted to convince her to recant her account that Petty sexually assaulted her through various harassment and intimidation tactics. She is currently seeking “unspecified damages for the intentional infliction of emotional distress.”