Well, this is about to get interesting. A judge has denied Nicki’s wish to have her deposition video sealed from leaking online.
If you’re unaware, Nicki Minaj is in the middle of a nasty legal battle with her ex-stylist, Maher Jridi. Maher sued the “Chun-Li” rapper accusing her of refusing to return expensive clothes he borrowed from a third-party company. He claims to have rented a bunch of designer garments from a wardrobe company back in 2017 when he worked for Nicki as her stylist. He says it cost him thousands to rent the clothes, but he was never reimbursed. As a result, Maher was sued for the unreturned clothes by the 3rd party company. They won a $74,000 judgment against him which he says Nicki should pay for, along with damages for emotional distress.
With the lawsuit ongoing, Nicki had to participate in a taped deposition by her ex-stylist on September 20. After the deposition, Nicki went 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 judge’s 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. We’ll continue to keep you posted on this legal battle moving forward. Thoughts? It should be interesting to see what Minaj had to say in the deposition.
