Onika “Nicki Minaj” Maraj and her partner, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty, are currently involved in a serious legal fight. A woman named Jennifer Hough sued the couple for alleged stalking and intimidation.
Jennifer Hough claimed the Pettys and their associates essentially threatened her in order to get the former New York City resident to recant her story about being raped by Petty at knifepoint in 1994. Hough’s accusations of harassment first came to light in late 2020.
Kenneth Petty served four years in state prison after being convicted of attempted rape by force in 1995. Jennifer Hough was 16 years old at the time of the assault. As a result of the conviction, Petty must register as a sex offender in any state where he resides.
In September of this year, Kenneth Petty pled guilty in federal court to failing to register as a sex offender in California. Petty presently awaits sentencing. He reportedly faces up to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.
According to TMZ, Nicki Minaj’s legal team insists Jennifer Hough is a liar who is just out to get money from the superstar rapper. The attorneys apparently presented an alleged text message from Hough to Minaj that was supposedly sent after Hough said she had to change her number to avoid contact with the Pettys.
The celebrity news outlet reports:
The crux of their argument lies in a couple different inconsistencies they say lie within Hough’s account of things — namely, her claiming she had to change her phone number due to the alleged harassment she was receiving from Nicki, plus the claim Nicki’s team had reached out to her brother with a $500k offer if she recanted in a written statement… Nicki says the text read “US Marshalls are asking questions!!!” The lawyer draws a conclusion from this — Hough wasn’t actually trying to hide her number from Nicki at all (contrary to what she alleges). Nicki’s team thinks it makes it clear she wasn’t scared and is just looking for a payday.
TMZ
Nicki Minaj Made Several False Statements About Jennifer Hough Before The Lawsuit
Nicki Minaj initially inserted herself into the Kenneth Petty-Jennifer Hough situation by posting a comment on Instagram suggesting Hough and Petty were once in a relationship. However, the 1994 police report stated that there was no relationship between the suspect and the victim.
In addition, Nicki Minaj used her Queen Radio show to wrongfully suggest that Jennifer Hough is a Caucasian woman who falsely accused a Black man. Minaj clearly said “but white is right” while talking about the case, implying Petty was the actual victim of a racist legal system.
Jennifer Hough Went Public With Her Intimidation Accusations In 2021
In January, Jennifer Hough publicly showed her face for the first time since making the harassment allegations against Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty. Hough also appeared on The Real talk show in September to discuss the alleged torment and the pending lawsuit.
“What they did to me and my family wasn’t okay,” said Hough on The Real. “It wasn’t right and it doesn’t matter how much money you have. It doesn’t matter what your status is. You can’t intimidate people to make things better for you.”
