The harassment lawsuit filed against the rapper Nicki Minaj by her husband Kenneth Petty's alleged victim, Jennifer Hough, has been dropped.
"The case against Nicki was voluntarily dismissed. The case against Kenneth Petty is still ongoing. Stay tuned!" Jennifer Hough's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, told PEOPLE in response to the lawsuit being dropped. While Minaj’s name is no longer involved, it is not looking good for her husband.
Kenneth Petty is a level-two registered offender in New York, which means he's considered a "moderate risk of repeat offense." He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.
Minaj’s husband was arrested in March 2020 after being indicted for failure to register as a sex offender in California. Petty pleaded not guilty and posted $100,000 bail, according to records obtained at the time. He pleaded guilty in a virtual healing in September.\
Nicki Minaj’s Legal Woes Not Over
The 39-year-old ‘Superbass’ rapper still plans to fight for the legal fees to be returned to her,
Nicki Minaj's lawyer, Judd Bernstein, told Hough's lawyer he was pleased that the legal team "came to their senses," according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
"Your conduct in pursuing this case against Nicki represents the worst of our legal system: bottom-feeding lawyers who pursue frivolous actions against a celebrity assuming that they will be paid off if they throw up enough dirt," he wrote.
The lawsuit, filed by Hough in August last year, claimed that Minaj and her husband Kenny Petty, 43, tried to threaten her into recanting her rape accusations. Hough claimed the incident happened in 1994 when she was just 16.
Bernstein added, "It is just the beginning of Nicki's and my efforts to make you pay for your disgraceful conduct with both money and, if the Court recommends it, disciplinary sanctions."
Lawsuit Against Minaj’s Husband Still Ongoing
Kenny Petty, who married Minaj in 2019 and shares a child with the rapper, was convicted for first-degree attempted rape in 1995. He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months but spent four years in prison.
Hough's lawsuit has accused the famous couple of intentional infliction of emotional distress and alleged sexual assault and battery, referring to the previous 90s incident.
"As a direct result of the actions of Defendant Minaj and Defendant Petty, Plaintiff has been traumatized her entire life," the lawsuit explains. "Plaintiff has never felt safe since being raped by Defendant."
The lawsuit also claims that Jennifer Hough was once offered $20,000 in exchange for signing a prepared statement that would relinquish her accusations of rape against Kenny. It also purported that the ‘Anaconda’ rapper called her personally to convince her to withdraw her story and that she received numerous harassing calls and visits from people associated with the couple.
The document also details how Hough’s brother was previously offered half a million dollars by people associated with the rapper and her husband, in exchange for the story being withdrawn. Hough has appeared on The Real, recounting the ordeal with Kenny and the fear she still feels.
