Nicki Minaj's Former Assistant Demands Private Text Messages in Ongoing Battery Lawsuit

Nicki Minaj's former assistant Brandon Garrett has asked a court to force the rapper to hand over private text messages about his employment and an alleged backstage assault in Detroit, according to TMZ's account of legal filings. Minaj is resisting parts of the request in the ongoing battery lawsuit between the pair.

Garrett sued Minaj in 2025 over an encounter he alleges took place after her April 2024 concert. His claims include assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Minaj's former lawyer denied the allegations, describing them as 'false and frivolous.'

Nicki Minaj Disputes Scope of Text Message Demands

The latest dispute concerns communications Garrett wants Minaj to provide as part of the case. According to TMZ, he requested texts between the musician and third parties concerning him and his employment from January 2024 to April 2024.

He also sought all messages she sent about the alleged assault. The supplied report does not identify the third parties or reproduce the communications he is seeking.

Minaj maintains that she has no messages in her possession about the alleged incident, TMZ reported. She also argued that some of Garrett's other requests were too broad and refused to provide the requested material.

Her position on messages about the incident is distinct from her objections to the scope of the other requests. The report does not establish whether a court has ruled on either issue or ordered any material to be disclosed.

What Garrett Alleges in the Nicki Minaj Battery Lawsuit

TMZ first reported the lawsuit on 3 January 2025, describing Garrett as Minaj's day-to-day manager. Its later account calls him a former assistant or employee. Both reports identify him as the person bringing the claims.

According to TMZ's original account of the lawsuit, filed by trial attorney Thomas Feher, Garrett alleges Minaj sent him on an errand after the Detroit concert. When he returned, he claims, he was summoned to her dressing room, where other members of her team were present.

Garrett alleges that Minaj questioned team members about their responsibilities and became angry after learning he had previously arranged for someone else to collect one of her prescriptions.

He claims she threatened him and then struck the right side of his face with an open hand. According to his account, the force pushed his head backwards and dislodged his hat.

Garrett further alleges that members of Minaj's security team moved close to him and that she struck his right wrist, knocking documents from his hand onto the floor. These remain allegations in his lawsuit.

Former Lawyer's Response and What Happens Next

Garrett's account continues beyond the dressing room. He alleges he collected his hat and left before locking himself in a restroom at Little Caesars Arena, where he remained for hours because he feared for his safety.

He claims his wrist was throbbing and his face was sore when he called his fiancée to describe what had happened. He also alleges that Minaj's team prevented him from boarding the tour bus back to the tour's base in Chicago, leaving him stranded in Detroit.

The supplied reporting contains the former lawyer's denial but no detailed response to those individual allegations. It also provides no hearing date or timetable for resolving the text-message dispute. Garrett is seeking damages for the alleged assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.