Nicki Minaj Reportedly Sued for Assault and Battery, Denies ‘False and Frivolous’ Claims

Nicki Minaj was named in a lawsuit filed by a former employee, who accused the rapper of assault and battery.

Brandon Garrett, who claimed to work as Minaj’s manager during her 2024 tour, sued Minaj, 42, according to Friday, January 3, court documents obtained by TMZ. In the filing, Garrett claimed that Minaj summoned him to her dressing room after an April 2024 concert in Detroit, where she allegedly became agitated to learn he asked someone else to pick up a prescription.

“[Another employee, Luke Montgomery] explained that his duties entailed tasks like venue dressing room set-up, private jet set-up, hotel room set-up, quick change room refreshments, and tour bus set-up,” the docs read. “Mr. Montgomery mentioned these duties were in addition to any requests from [Minaj] communicated by [Garrett], including food orders, 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 run the errand. Upon hearing his reasoning, Minaj allegedly got “visibly upset” and “angrily screamed” at him. She apparently said, “Are you f—ing crazy having him pick up my prescription?” and “If my husband [Kenneth Petty] was here, he would knock out your f — ing teeth.”

Garrett further claimed that Minaj then “open-handly struck” him on the right side of his face and subsequently on his right wrist. Several hours later, Garrett claimed that another staffer on Minaj’s team told him that he’d no longer be joining her team for her tour stop in Chicago.

Minaj has denied Garrett’s allegations through her attorney. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.

“At this time, no complaint has been served upon Mrs. Petty, and therefore, we are unaware of the specific allegations,” Minaj’s lawyer Judd Burstein told Variety in a statement. “However, if the lawsuit is as reported by TMZ, it is completely false and frivolous. We are confident that the matter brought by this ex-assistant will be resolved swiftly in Mrs. Petty’s favor.”

Minaj is a rapper who broke into the music industry with the release of her 2010 album Pink Friday. She has had several ups and downs throughout her career, including a 2024 arrest in Amsterdam.

During the international leg of her tour, Minaj claimed that she was stopped by police after marijuana pre-rolls were apparently found in her luggage.

“They’ve been trying to stop me from coming to every show,” Minaj wrote via Instagram in May 2024. “They took my bags before I could see them. Put it on the plane. Now they’re waiting on customs. This is what it looks like when ppl are paid big money to try to sabotage a tour after all else failed. Everything they’ve done is illegal.”

Minaj claimed that the drugs had belonged to her security guards and she was released several 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,” Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said in an X statement, presumably referring to Minaj. “After consultation with the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect was fined and can continue her journey.”