Nicki Minaj’s former manager accused the rap superstar of berating and hitting him multiple times while he was on tour in Detroit.
In a lawsuit, Brandon Jovan Garrett alleged that Minaj, 42, whose real name is Onika Maraj, assaulted him on April 21 after a concert at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court for the state of California, accuses the Grammy-nominated artist of assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His company, Pink Personality Inc., is also listed as a defendant.
A lawyer for Minaj did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Garrett, who described himself as Minaj’s “day-to-day manager,” claims in the lawsuit that on April 21, while returning from buying the ice cream Minaj requested, his security chief called him to the star’s dressing room.
Minaj was in the room with the head of security and five other members of her team and was upset about the way jobs were handled among her employees, according to the lawsuit.
A member of Minaj’s team then asked Garrett why another employee was picking up the star’s prescriptions. Garrett said he had someone else pick up the prescription because Minaj wanted it right away and he was busy helping her in the dressing room during performances, according to the lawsuit.
Minaj became enraged by Garrett’s responses and reaction, the lawsuit claims. Garrett’s response further provoked the defendant’s “anger” and she began yelling profanities at Garrett, according to the lawsuit.
Minaj called Garrett crazy and said she had lost her mind and that if her husband were there, she would “knock out” his teeth.
“You are a walking dead man. You just ruin your whole life and you will never be anyone, I will make sure of that,” the lawsuit says Minaj told Garrett.
Minaj physically attacked Garrett, according to the lawsuit, “striking him with an open hand” on the right side of his face, causing his head to swing back as his hat flew off. She allegedly punched him in the right wrist, causing him to allow her to drop documents he was holding, before kicking Garrett out of the room, the lawsuit states.
Garrett then locked himself in a bathroom for hours because he feared for his safety, according to the lawsuit.
The next morning, Garrett received a text message saying he would not be riding the tour bus from Detroit to Chicago, he said in the lawsuit.
Garrett said in the lawsuit that he called Detroit police from the airport and was told he would have to file a police report about the alleged assault in person.
Garrett returned to Detroit and filed a police report before returning to his home in Los Angeles, according to the lawsuit.
Detroit police confirmed Monday that Garrett filed a report. Police said a warrant request had been sent to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The lawsuit alleges that Minaj “abused her position of authority” and “berated, threatened, used profanity, and violently hit” Garrett multiple times. His actions were done “with the intent to cause severe emotional distress” or without conscious consideration of the likelihood that Garrett would “suffer severe emotional distress.”
He is seeking a jury trial.
