Nicki Minaj has been charged in connection with an assault by a man who claimed the rapper was assaulted by a man in Detroit last April, according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday (Jan. 3). He was physically assaulted after a concert.
Plaintiff Brandon Garrett alleges in the complaint that while serving as Minaj 2024’s day-to-day manager, pink friday 2 During the tour, the rapper (real name Onika Maraj) punched him multiple times after he lost his temper backstage at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged assault occurred on April 21 when Garrett was summoned to Minaj’s dressing room backstage at the arena, where he said he encountered Minaj and her former manager. Deb Anni About sending another tour employee, hospitality manager Luke Montgomery, to pick up Mina’s medication in his stead.
“Multiple Sclerosis. Ani asked Mr. Montgomery why he was picking up prescriptions on Defendant Maraj’s behalf,” the complaint reads, referring to Mina by her birth name. “Plaintiff responded that he had asked Mr. Montgomery to pick up the prescription in the past because Defendant Maraj wanted it immediately, but during the performance, Plaintiff was on site with Defendant Maraj because one of Plaintiff’s job duties was to assist Defendant. Maraj was at Dress for the performance.
Garrett claimed that Mina then became “visibly distraught” and “screamed angrily” at him, “Are you crazy asking him to pick up my prescription? Are you crazy if I Husband is here and he’s gonna knock your teeth out. You’re a walking dead man. You’re screwed up in this life and you’ll never amount to anything, I’ll make sure of that.” Mina then allegedly “started going big on Montgomery. Yelling,” asking him what day he got the prescriptions and “what specific prescriptions they were for.” When Montgomery said he couldn’t remember, Mina allegedly “screamed” at him and “told him to look at his phone, Until you find it.”
When neither Montgomery nor Garrett could find the information Mina requested, she “asked to see Mr. Montgomery’s cellphone to read the last text messages between Plaintiff and Mr. Montgomery,” the complaint states. After Montgomery allegedly gave Mina her cell phone to read messages, Garrett said she approached him “very close to his face” while continuing to yell at him.
“At this point, Defendant Maraj struck Plaintiff on the right side of his face with his bare hands, causing his head to swing back and his hat to fly off his head,” the complaint reads. Garrett claimed that at this time, several members of Mina’s security team Members “swarmed” toward them, and Mina “struck Plaintiff on the right wrist, knocking the document in Plaintiff’s hand to the floor.”
Garrett claimed Mina then ordered him to leave the room. After complying with her request, he said he “ran to the nearest bathroom and locked himself in there for a few hours,” during which time he called his fiancé to tell him what had happened. “At this time, Plaintiff’s wrist was throbbing and his face was sore, but he remained in the bathroom because he was scared and feared for his safety,” the complaint continues. Garrett said that in the “early hours” of April 22, he received “a text message from a fellow rider on the tour” informing him that Ani said Garrett “would not be riding the bus from Detroit to Chicago,” This puts him in a difficult position.
Garrett said that after flying back to Chicago, he contacted the Chicago Police Department and asked officers to escort him back to the hotel “because he feared for his safety and did not know if his belongings had been taken or tampered with.” He said , he returned to his room and filed a police report with the Chicago Police Department, where he allegedly “spent the next few days … as he was frightened and traumatized by the incident.” He said he then flew back to Detroit to file a formal report with police.
Garrett is suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery, and is seeking punitive and punitive damages and general damages, among other relief.
A rep for Minaj did not immediately respond. advertising billboardRequest for comment. Ani also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
