Nicki Minaj’s own lawyers are trying to quit her $275,149.62 Jingle Ball lawsuit, and they say they cannot even get the paperwork into her hands. In a Nov. 3 court filing in Manhattan, the firm Kurzman Eisenberg Corbin & Lever said a process server visited her penthouse three times without reaching her.
The firm cites irreconcilable differences over how to fight the case, a breakdown in communication and a broken relationship with its client. Judge Leslie A. Stroth has paused the case and set a hearing on the withdrawal request for Dec. 1 at 10 a.m.
Why do Nicki Minaj’s lawyers want to quit?
The firm says it and Minaj cannot agree on strategy. Attorney Bruce W. Bieber first asked the court to let the firm withdraw on Oct. 23, saying the relationship with the rapper had broken down. He offered to give the judge more details privately to protect confidential information.
Under court rules, the firm had to formally notify Minaj and her company, Pink Friday Productions, before it could leave. That is where things got complicated.
What happened at her penthouse?
The judge ordered personal delivery plus certified mail by Nov. 4 and crossed out the firm’s request to serve her by email and overnight mail. On Oct. 29, a concierge called up to the apartment and said someone would come down. Nobody did. A second concierge declined to call again.
On Oct. 30, the call went unanswered. The concierge said Minaj was out but her husband, Kenneth Petty, was home. TMZ reported that the server was also told the couple tend not to answer their phones. A third visit on Nov. 2 ended with word that she was unavailable.
The firm says it also sent the papers by certified mail and FedEx, and tracking showed the FedEx package arrived without needing a signature. Bieber argued that proves Minaj knows the firm wants out.
What is the Jingle Ball lawsuit about?
24/7 Productions sued Minaj and Pink Friday Productions in March over costs tied to her December 2023 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball dates in Chicago and Atlanta and New York events promoting Pink Friday 2. The company brings a contract claim against Pink Friday Productions and an unjust enrichment claim against Minaj personally.
The paperwork reads like a celebrity receipt. The court file includes a suite costing $9,500 a night and a minibar tab listing Pringles and M&M’s Peanuts.
What does Nicki Minaj’s side say?
Minaj disputes the bill. In a July 31 filing, Pink Friday Productions said it had already paid the debt, and her lawyers described the hospitality costs as approved. They also argued that being a member of the company does not make Minaj personally responsible for its debts, which strikes at the heart of 24/7’s case against her as an individual. No court has ruled on who owes what. Minaj has not publicly responded to the latest filing.
Is this the first time her lawyers have clashed?
No. In February, attorney Matthew Abbott sought to leave her defense in Tameer Peak’s $10 million defamation case, also citing communication problems. And in Los Angeles, the firm Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani is suing her for $229,541 it says she owes for legal work in a 2024 copyright case. That case has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 16, when the firm will seek a judgment.
That is three legal teams in one year either suing her, leaving her or trying to.
What happens next?
If the judge approves the withdrawal, Nicki Minaj and her company will get 30 more days to hire new lawyers unless the court says otherwise.
Now the twist. The lawsuit covers arrangements for both the Chicago and Atlanta Jingle Ball shows. But Minaj never performed at the Chicago concert on Dec. 4, 2023, and Lil Wayne took her place. Whatever was spent preparing for a show the Queen of Rap did not play may end up being one of the most interesting questions in the case, once someone is standing beside her in court to answer it.
