Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty, has finally lawyered up in a $20 million legal battle with the woman he is accused of sexually assaulting.
Earlier this month, the couple was slapped with a massive $20 million default judgment after failing to reply to a lawsuit filed by Jennifer Hough.
Nicki ultimately lawyered up and hired an attorney named Judd Burstein, who successfully had the default judgment set aside – for now.
Earlier this week, Kenneth Petty hired the law offices of Stephen D. Isser to defend him against Hough’s allegations.
Hough claims Nicki and Kenneth have been terrorizing her for years. She insists they have been trying to bribe her into recanting the rape allegations Petty was convicted of in 1995.
Hough maintains that the couple offered up as much as $500,000 to recant the allegations so that Kenneth could get his name off the National Sexual Offender Registry list.
When the proposition of cash failed, the couple supposedly turned to threats in hopes of bullying Hough into recanting her claim.
Kenneth’s lawyer is asking Judge Eric Vitaliano to vacate the certificate of default entered against his client, in addition to some extra time to respond to Hough’s complaint.
AllHipHop.com broke the news: Nicki claimed a miscommunication between her management team and her recently hired lawyer caused the delay in replying to Hough’s complaint.
Nicki Minaj also told Judge Vitaliano that a process server never formally served her and her husband with the lawsuit – a claim that could come back to haunt both of them if it is proven to be untrue.
Kenneth Petty is facing prison time for failing to register as a sex offender in California after moving to the state to be with Nicki.
He pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, and he will learn his fate in January of 2022 when he is sentenced.
According to emails obtained by AllHipHop.com, Jennifer Hough’s lawyer is disputing the claim that the couple was not served and accused them of lying to Judge Vitaliano.
In a series of nasty emails sent between the lawyers, Hough’s attorney Steven Gordon threatened to accuse the couple of perjury, which could impact Kenneth’s sentencing on January 24th, 2022.
Gordon is asking Judge Vitaliano for a Traverse Hearing where Judge Vitaliano would determine whether or not Nicki and her husband were served correctly.
“The proof of service was submitted for both Mr. Petty and your client, in which the process server swore under penalty of perjury that he served Mr. Petty,” Gordon wrote to Nicki’s lawyer Judd Burstein.
Gordon took issue with Burstein and Nicki Minaj’s claims that they were not home when the lawsuit was served, while Hough’s lawyers maintain that Kenneth Petty was the man served with the lawsuit.
“We will also call our process server to the stand and submit additional documentary evidence that service was proper…we will also immediately advise the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of your client’s and Mr. Petty’s perjury. I’m sure that will assist him during his January 2022 sentencing hearing for failing to register as a sex offender,” Steven Gordon threatened.
Judge Vitaliano has yet to rule on any of the motions.
However, today (October 26th), Judge Vitaliano set forth a schedule, and all parties must submit their formal replies on or before November 22nd, 2021.