Nicki Minaj Sued for Assault by Former Tour Employee

Nicki Minaj is being sued for assault, battery and “intentional infliction of emotional distress” by a former tour employee, who claims she hit him multiple times following a concert in Detroit in April 2023.

According to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday and obtained by Billboard, Brandon Garrett says he was working as a day-to-day manager on the rapper’s Pink Friday 2 tour last year when Minaj (real name Onika Maraj) allegedly physically attacked him during an altercation backstage at the Little Caesars Arena on April 21.

In the suit, Garret claims he was called to Minaj’s dressing room backstage that day, where she confronted him about having another tour employee, hospitality manager Luke Montgomery, pick up Minaj’s prescriptions in his place because he was occupied with other tour responsibilities.

“Ms. [Deb] Antney [former manager] asked why Mr. Montgomery was picking up prescriptions on behalf of Defendant Maraj,” the complaint reads, per Billboard. “Plaintiff responded that he had Mr. Montgomery pick up a prescription in the past because Defendant Maraj wanted it immediately, but Plaintiff was occupied at the venue with Defendant Maraj in the quick change room during a performance because one of Plaintiff’s job duties was assisting Defendant Maraj with dressing during performances.”

As a result, Garrett claims Minaj became “visibly upset” and “angrily screamed” at him: “Are you fucking crazy having him pick up my prescription? You have lost your fucking mind and if my husband was here, he would knock out your fucking teeth. You’re a dead man walking. You just fucked up your whole life and you will never be anyone, I’ll make sure of it.”

According to the complaint, Minaj then allegedly “started yelling” at Montgomery, asking him for details about what kind of prescription he picked up and when. But when Montgomery couldn’t remember, Minaj allegedly “screamed” at him “to look through his phone until he finds it.”

When neither Montgomery nor Garrett could answer Minaj’s questions, the suit says the rapper then “asked to see Mr. Montgomery’s cell phone to read the last text message between Plaintiff and Mr. Montgomery.” Montgomery allegedly offered his cell phone to Minaj to read, but Garrett claims Minaj instead “got very close to his face” while continuing to yell.

That’s what things continued to escalate, according to the complaint, and Minaj “open-handedly struck Plaintiff on the right side of his face, causing his head to swing backwards as his hat flew off his head.” At that point, Garrett claims several of Minaj’s security team members “swarmed in close” to them both before the rapper allegedly “struck Plaintiff on his right wrist, knocking the documents in Plaintiff’s hand onto the floor.”

Following the altercation, Garrett claims the rapper ordered him out of the room and he “ran to the nearest restroom and locked himself inside for hours,” calling his fiancé to inform him what had happened. “At this point, Plaintiff’s wrist was throbbing and his face was sore, but he stayed in the restroom because he was terrified and feared for his safety,” the complaint reads.

The following day, Garrett was informed that Antney said he “would not be riding the bus from Detroit to Chicago.” The suit states that Garrett ended up taking a flight to Chicago and contacted the Chicago Police Department to file a police report and request a police escort back to his hotel “because he feared for his safety and did not know if his belongings had been removed or tampered with.”

Once he got back to his hotel, Garett allegedly remained there “for the next couple days…because he was fearful and traumatized” over the altercation. He later flew back to Detroit to file a formal police report there.

Minaj’s attorney did not immediately respond to The Hollywood Reporter‘s request for comment.