Nicki Minaj Suffers Setback In Court Battle With Ex-Stylist, Judge Refuses To Seal Video Of Rapper
By Ryan Naumann on December 11, 2019 at 5:21 AM EST
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Nicki Minaj was shut down in her attempt to block a video of her being grilled by her ex-stylist.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, a judge has denied Minaj’s motion for a protective order, saying she will not get special treatment for being a celebrity.
Minaj is in the middle of a nasty legal battle with her ex-stylist, Maher Jridi. He sued the rapper accusing her of refusing to return expensive clothes he borrowed from a third-party company.
Jridi worked for Minaj back in 2017. He claims to have rented a bunch of designer duds from a wardrobe company. He says it cost him thousands to rent the clothes, but he was never reimbursed.
In his lawsuit, the stylist explained the third-party company sued him over the unreturned clothes. They won a $74,000 judgment against him which he says Minaj should pay, along with damages for emotional distress.
Minaj countersued Jridi claiming she overpaid him $12,000 on invoices. She claims he promised to repay her but never did. She denied all allegations of wrongdoing in his case.
The rapper sat for a deposition by her ex-stylist on September 20. She was grilled under oath about the case. A videotape of the deposition was taken on the day.
Following the deposition, Minaj rushed to court pleading for the judge to issue a protective order. She wanted the order to prohibit Jridi from using the deposition or releasing it to the media.
She claimed he refused to agree to seal the video. Her motion read, “Given Maraj’s fame as a world- renowned rapper and entertainer, she fears Plaintiff intends to publicly disseminate confidential document discovery and pre-trial testimony in order to embarrass or otherwise damage her.”
Jridi argued Minaj should not been given special treatment because she’s famous. He said, “Rather than provide the appropriate factual showing for entitlement to the relief she seeks, Defendant simply asks for special treatment by virtue of her celebrity status.”
The judge recently came back with his decision siding with Jridi. The order says Minaj failed to provide evidence that release of the video would cause her harm.
He says “Defendant has not identified any more specific reason beyond her own (undisputed) celebrity to believe that plaintiff is at risk of disseminating the deposition.” The case is ongoing.
Minaj is also battling a separate nasty legal battle over a track with Nas.
