Rap artist Nicki Minaj, born Onika Maraj, is currently not facing charges following an incident alleged to have occurred in Detroit last year. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office disclosed yesterday that a warrant request for Minaj was rejected due to "insufficient evidence to prove that a crime has been committed." The situation stems from a claim that Minaj was involved in an assault on a former tour employee at Little Caesars Arena on April 21, 2024, as reported by Audacy.
The alleged victim, Brandon Garrett, has concurrently filed a lawsuit against Minaj for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Allegedly, the incident unfolded backstage after Minaj's concert and involved a physical confrontation prompted by an issue related to a prescription pickup. Despite a request by the prosecutor's office for further investigation by Detroit Police, the current evidence on file was not deemed sufficient to formally charge Minaj. In defense of the star, her lawyer, Judd Burstein, referred to allegations as "completely false and frivolous" in a statement to Audacy.
The prosecutor's office, which originally provided an incorrect time for the incident, later clarified that the altercation was reported to have happened around 2:30 a.m., rather than p.m., as mentioned by the Detroit Free Press. Furthermore, Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, confirmed over the weekend that they received the warrant request and were in the process of reviewing it.
While the denied warrant currently places Minaj out of the direct reach of criminal proceedings, the unfolding civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court brings to light the accuser's side of the story. Garrett's legal complaint alleges that Minaj struck him and threatened his career during the confrontation. Yet to fully unravel is whether further police investigation will alter the legal pendulum in a case that balances allegations with celebrity and the specter of insufficiently substantiated claims. As reported by the Detroit News, Garrett declined to comment and deferred to his attorney, who was unavailable for immediate response.
