Nicki Minaj's Husband Submits Accuser's 1994 Letter in Attempted Rape Lawsuit
Kenneth Petty's legal team uses a letter from accuser Jennifer Hough, where she reportedly recanted her claims, as part of his defense against a civil suit.
Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, has presented a 1994 letter purportedly written by his rape accuser to the District Attorney's Office as part of his defense in a civil lawsuit. The letter, reviewed by The Daily Mail, is stated to be from Jennifer Hough, the accuser in a case where Petty was convicted of attempted rape.
Petty's lawyer, Steven D. Isser, submitted the signed and notarized letter on September 10. In it, Hough allegedly states that her accusations against Petty were "half true and half false" and that she had voluntarily gone to his home on the day of the alleged incident after they had been dating. She also claimed that marks on her neck were "hickies" from another person and that she had not wanted to have sex with Petty but relented because she "wanted to leave" and was late for school.
According to the letter, Hough indicated she had known Petty for years and that he approached her to discuss something privately. After an argument and a physical altercation, she stated Petty asked to make love again, which she declined. She wrote that she ultimately agreed to sex because she "wanted to leave." Following the encounter, she said she threw a water bottle and fell down stairs while Petty was chasing her.
Hough's attorney, Marjorie Mesidor, has denied the authenticity of the 1994 letter, asserting that her client never wrote or signed it. "This exact tactic was attempted by Mr. Petty in 1994, and it was widely disregarded by the judge then just as it will be disregarded by the judge now," Mesidor stated. She added that a "typewritten recantation without parental consent" from a minor is "highly suspicious" and that the signature is not her client's.
Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in New York in April 1995 in connection with the incident. The letter from Hough, as described by Petty's attorney, suggests that inconsistencies in her account fatally undermine her allegations.
Petty's lawyer also noted that Hough had previously offered varying accounts of the incident, including whether a gun or knife was used and if another person was present. The defense argues that Hough "waited 27 years to commence litigation" after learning of Petty's relationship with Minaj, suggesting an attempt to "extract money" from a celebrity.
Petty and Minaj married in 2019 and have one child. Lawyers for Petty are seeking to have the civil case dismissed based on the evidence presented in the recent court submission.