On the heels of ending her Pink Friday 2 tour at the tail end of 2024, Onika Tanya Maraj, 42, also known as Nicki Minaj, has been sued for assault and battery by a former employee. Minaj has allegedly physically assaulted and verbally lashed out at him numerous times during a Detroit tour stop in April of last year. Brandon Jovan Garrett, a day-day-manager for the star, filed the lawsuit this past Friday, Jan. 3 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
According to TMZ and Variety, who obtained the documents and provided in depth details of the lawsuit, Garrett said Nicki Minaj instructed him to run an errand after the show performance, soon after he returned, he received demands to visit her dressing room. Once inside, Garrett noticed that Minaj and other employees were in the dressing room as she began to remind each of them about their various job responsibilities.
Garrett is suing Minaj for “assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” The assault took place on April 21, 2024 immediately after a performance at Little Caesar’s arena in Detroit, Mich.
Garrett alleges that Minaj was upset with him once she discovered he sent someone else to complete his assigned task — to retrieve one of her prescription medications — and cursed at him while also threatening his livelihood, according to TMZ.
He then said Minaj hit him in the face and shoved documents out of his hand with her wrist. He then locked himself in a nearby restroom at the establishment. After the encounter, he also alleged that Minaj’s team did not allow him back on the tour bus for the next stop, Chicago, IL.
On Jan. 4, the Detroit Police Department put forth a warrant request to Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to conclude if criminal charges would be filed. As of Jan. 6, a representative of the Wayne County Prosector’s Office told TMZ that Minaj will not be arrested due to “insufficient evidence” of a crime occurring but has requested law enforcement to delve deeper into the investigation.
Judd Burstein, Minaj’s lawyer, said the allegations and claims against the multiplatinum raptress are “completely false and frivolous.