Civil rights attorney Ben Crump argued that Charles Polevich’s inattentiveness and reckless driving were the cause of the fatal crash that killed Robert Maraj on a street in Long Island on February 12th, according to TMZ.
According to a police report, Polevich struck 64-year-old Maraj, Nicki Minaj’s father and husband of Minaj’s mother, Carol, with his Volvo and fled the scene to hide the car in his home garage after asking the victim if he was OK.
After filing the lawsuit on behalf of Carol Maraj, Crump tweeted “Charles Polevich was not only irresponsible & negligent in hitting Maraj, but was more concerned about running away and hiding than seeking help.” He continued, “Polevich’s behavior was criminal, cowardly, and immoral. We will hold him responsible for his reckless actions that led to Robert Maraj’s death!”
Read More: Nicki Minaj’s father killed in a hit-and-run accident
Marc Craig Gann, Polevich’s attorney, told TMZ: “My client empathizes with the family. The question of whether there was negligence and degrees of negligence will be determined by the court. The $150 million amount seems to be over the top.”
Charged with 2 felonies — leaving the scene of an accident that led to death and tampering with or suppressing physical evidence — Polevich pled not guilty and was released on a $250,000 bond, according to TMZ.
Detective Lt Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Nassau County Police Department, as reported by The Daily Mail, said that 70-year-old Polevich, “was absolutely aware of what happened.” Fitzpatrick elaborated, saying, “he looked at the deceased and made the conscious decision to leave instead of dialing 911, instead of calling an ambulance for the man. He went home and secreted the vehicle, so he is well aware of what he did.”
Read More: Driver accused in hit-and-run death of Nicki Minaj’s father turns himself in
Per a police statement, Polevich could have avoided criminal charges altogether had he remained on the scene after the accident and exhibited no signs that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Crump, in collaboration with Paul Napoli filed the suit on Friday in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
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