Nicki Minaj Faces Renewed Court Motion Over Alleged Unpaid $295,000 Legal Tab
Attorneys who previously represented Nicki Minaj in a song copyright dispute have renewed their bid for a default judgment, claiming the rapper owes over $295,000 in unpaid legal fees and interest. The court filing in California arrived the same day the artist made public appearances backing Republican candidates in New Hampshire.
Former attorneys representing music superstar Nicki Minaj have returned to court with a renewed bid for a default judgment, asserting that the rapper has yet to satisfy an unpaid legal tab that currently totals $295,605, according to court documents reported by Rolling Stone.
Lawyers from the firm Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani submitted the motion in Los Angeles County Superior Court, arguing that Minaj breached their legal representation agreement by failing to compensate them for professional services, associated fees, and interest. The firm had previously defended the artist in a federal copyright infringement lawsuit where claimant Julius Johnson alleged that Minaj's track "I Lied" copied the beat and instrumentation of his copyrighted recording "onmysleeve." That copyright matter concluded following a private settlement and was subsequently dismissed.
In their latest filing, the attorneys indicated that their underlying collection lawsuit, first filed in March, "has not been responded to in any way by [the rapper]," Rolling Stone reported. Because more than 30 days have elapsed since Minaj was formally served with the summons and complaint without an answer, the firm has asked the court to enter a default award in the full amount sought.
Representatives for Minaj did not immediately return requests for comment regarding the litigation, according to Rolling Stone.
The renewed court action was submitted on Tuesday just as Minaj surfaced publicly outside a voting precinct in Derry, New Hampshire. According to reporting from NBC10Boston, the artist was escorted by local police as she posed for photographs alongside a campaign sign for Anthony DiLorenzo, a Trump-endorsed Republican congressional candidate who was defeated by Democrat Stefany Shaheen.
Minaj's stop in New Hampshire followed an appearance alongside Donald Trump at a Michigan campaign rally the prior week, where she addressed attendees and led a chant of "We love Trump," Rolling Stone noted. During her remarks at that event, Minaj stated, "We don’t want our children to be bombarded with sex changes, right?" and commented on supporting Trump should he pursue an additional term in office.
Trump addressed Minaj from the podium at the Michigan rally, calling attention to her physical appearance during his remarks. Rolling Stone also reported that Minaj traveled to the rally aboard Air Force One, where she recorded a mock press briefing portraying a White House press secretary and praised Trump's business background.
A court hearing to review the law firm's request for a default judgment against Minaj has been scheduled for Nov. 16 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.