After Jennifer Houghvoluntarily dismissed her harassment lawsuit against Nicki Minaj in New York on January 12, Hough has reportedly refiled to move the suit to California, where Nicki and her husband Kenneth “Zoo” Petty call home.
According to Rolling Stone, Hough’s attorneys explained the reasoning behind the move to California federal court during a Manhattan court hearing on Thursday (January 20). Her team feels that the ruling would be more appropriate in the rap star’s current home state.
Hough originally sued Minaj and her husband in 2021 for harassment claiming they attempted to extort her into recanting statements about Kenneth Petty allegedly raping her in 1994. Petty served four years after being convicted of attempted rape of a 16-year-old in 1995.
Hough’s lawyer, Tyrone Blackburne, added that the jurisdiction change will allow them to file with “different causes of action” and another defendant could be in play.
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“As usual, they have decided to adopt a tactic without bothering to research the law,” Minaj’s attorney Judd Burstein responded to the relocation. “Had they done so, they would realize that re-filing their frivolous action in another jurisdiction will only result in another court sanctioning them.”
Nicki Minaj Accuser Drops Harassment Lawsuit Against Rapper - But Husband Isn't Off The Hook
Blackburne also warned Nicki Minaj that she should make sure to be careful with the billing hours from her legal team, as he feels that they’ve made moves to just continue to add up hours in court without a real goal in mind.
“If I were Ms. Maraj, I would pay close attention to the bill she receives from her counsel,” he said. “From the beginning of the lawsuit he has engaged in a billing exercise proposing to file a countless number of frivolous sanctions, none of which were filed, and none of which has any merit. I look forward to receiving this latest edition of her counsel’s billing exercise, carefully framed as a sanctions motion.”
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Petty is also awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty for failing to register as a sex offender in 2021 when moving in with Nicki Minaj while trading NYC for California’s sunshine. He’s expected to be sentenced for the latest charge in March, where he’ll face a maximum of 10 years behind bars.
