Nicki Minaj is being sued by a former employee again. This time, a former tour manager alleges assault, battery, and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
On Friday, Jan. 3, Brandon Garrett filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming that while he was employed as a day-to-day manager for the rapper’s “Pink Friday 2” tour, he was physically assaulted during an intense encounter with the rapper.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ and Variety, the altercation allegedly took place backstage at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on April 21 following one of Minaj’s concerts.
Garrett’s attorneys claim the trouble arose when their client received a text message from the head of Minaj’s security team, Larry Dathan, asking him to speak with the “Everybody” rapper in her dressing room. Garrett alleges that when he arrived, he was met by eight people from Minaj’s staff, including an employee named Luke Montgomery. He claims Minaj began to air out grievances she had with the disorganization of her tour staff, including staff members “not knowing what they are supposed to do, and who reports to who.”
Upon learning more about Montgomery’s role, including tasks such as picking up her prescriptions — a directive he received from Garrett — she became irate.
Garrett claims that he explained to Minaj that he asked Montgomery to pick up the prescriptions because he was busy with other tour responsibilities, including assisting Minaj with costume changes.
In the complaint, Garrett alleges that Minaj “angrily screamed” at him: “Are you f— crazy having him pick up my prescription? You have lost your f— mind, and if my husband [Kenneth Petty] were here, he would knock out your f— teeth. You’re a dead man walking. You just f— up your whole life, and you will never be anyone, I’ll make sure of it.”
Minaj also allegedly then yelled at Montgomery and asked him to show her the exact medications that he had picked up for her, according to court documents, per the outlets. Garrett claims that Minaj then turned her attention back to Garrett and “got very close to his face.”
“At this point, [Minaj] open-handedly struck [Garrett] on the right side of his face, causing his head to swing backward as his hat flew off his head,” the complaint states, per Variety.
The complaint further alleges that Garrett was at one point hit in his right wrist, leaving it “throbbing.”
In a statement to TMZ, Minaj’s lawyer, Judd Burstein, said she had not yet received the complaint but denied the allegations.
“At this time, no complaint has been served upon [Minaj], and therefore, we are unaware of the specific allegations,” he said. “However, if the lawsuit is as reported by TMZ, it is completely false and frivolous. We are confident that the matter brought by this ex-assistant will be resolved swiftly in Mrs. Petty’s favor.”
In September 2024, a former security guard for Minaj claimed he was still owed money from a settlement for a suit he brought against the rapper and her husband, Kenneth Petty, in March 2024. He alleged there was a backstage argument between him and Minaj that resulted in Petty physically assaulting him.