Global rap star Nicki Minaj is facing a lawsuit by a former employee, Brandon Jovan Garrett, for assault. Ms. Minaj, 42, whose legal name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, is accused by Mr. Garrett of hitting him numerous times and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on him during a tour in Detroit. The lawsuit was filed on January 3 in L.A. County Court, and Mr. Garrett is seeking a jury trial.

In legal documents, Mr. Garrett claims that Ms. Minaj assaulted him during the Pink Friday 2 World tour on April 21, after a Detroit concert at Little Caesars Arena. At the time of the alleged assault, Mr. Garrett was the rap singer’s day-to-day manager.

Mr. Garret alleges in court documents that he was on an errand to bring Ms. Minaj ice cream per her request when the head of her security told him to go to her dressing room.

While in the dressing room with other staff, Mr. Garrett says Ms. Minaj told the employees that she was not happy about the work being done by them. During this encounter, Mr. Garret claims, a team member asked him why he had not picked up the rapper’s prescription. He explained that since Ms. Minaj needed it quickly, and he had been busy helping her in the dressing room during her live performances, he asked another team member to pick up the prescriptions.

The lawsuit alleges that upon hearing this information from Mr. Garrett, the singer became extremely angry at his reply and reactions and began to scream expletives at him. Mr. Garret alleges she called him “crazy” and that if her husband had been there, “he would knock out" his teeth.

Furthermore, the lawsuit claims, Ms. Minaj told Garrett, “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.”

In court documents, Mr. Garrett alleges Ms. Minaj physically attacked him “open-handedly…on the right side of his face, causing his head to swing backwards as his hat flew off his head." The suit claims she also hit him on his right wrist, leaving him with a “throbbing” condition, before she made him leave the room.

Due to the alleged fear for his safety and stress, the lawsuit claims, Mr. Garrett locked himself in a bathroom for numerous hours. Mr. Garrett said in the suit that the next morning he was informed via text that he would not be on the tour bus leaving from Detroit and headed to Chicago via an Uber.

The plaintiff called the Detroit police from the Detroit airport and was told he had to file a police report in person, so he went back to do so and then returned home via plane.

Detroit police said Mr. Garrett did file the police report and that they sent a warrant request to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office. However, the prosecutor’s office denied the search warrant due to “insufficient evidence to prove that a crime has been committed."

Court documents allege that Ms. Minaj “abused her position of authority” and “berated, threatened, used profanities, and violently struck” Mr. Garrett numerous times. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims, Ms. Minaj did so “with intent to cause severe emotional distress” purposefully, so Mr. Garrett “would suffer severe emotional distress."

Mr. Garrett is seeking punitive and exemplary damages and general damages.