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Louise Thomas
Editor
Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty are being sued by the woman he was convicted of attempting to rape in 1995.
TMZ reports that Jennifer Hough, Petty’s victim, has filed a lawsuit against the couple alleging direct and indirect harassment by them. She has also accused them of threatening her and inflicting emotional distress.
Hough claims that Minaj offered to fly her out to Los Angeles if she recanted the attempted rape claims.
Petty was arrested and charged last year with failing to register as a sex offender in California, a requirement of his sentence for attempting to rape Hough, who was 16 at the time. He previously served four years in prison for the crime.
Hough also claims that in 2020, her and her family “suffered an onslaught of harassing calls and unsolicited visits” and shortly after was offered $500,000 (£423,000) in exchange for releasing a statement saying that Petty did not assault her.
Documents filed to court also allege that Minaj had her lawyers pressure Hough into rescinding her allegations.
Hough had previously claimed to the Daily Beast that she had been forced to move three times in 2020 out of fear for her safety.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Minaj for comment.
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Minaj and Petty began dating each other in 2018 after having known each other since childhood. They married a year later and have a child together.
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