Nicki Minaj’s Former Lawyers Return to Court Seeking Over $295,000 in Unpaid Legal Fees

Nicki Minaj’s former legal team has renewed its request for over $295,000 in allegedly unpaid legal fees stemming from a copyright infringement lawsuit.Lawyers for the firm Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani filed their renewed request for a default judgment Tuesday afternoon, following Minaj’s public appearance with a Trump-endorsed Republican in New Hampshire. In documents obtained by TheWrap, the firm said its underlying lawsuit, filed in March to recover the money, “has not been responded to in any way by [the rapper].” Now that 30 days have passed since Minaj was served, the firm is again requesting $295,605 as a default judgment. A hearing on the request is set for Nov. 16. The firm represented Minaj in a copyright infringement lawsuit alleging that her song “I Lied” copied the instrumentation and beat of “onmysleeve” by Julius Johnson. In a declaration obtained by TheWrap, the firm said it billed Minaj and Harajuku Barbie Music LLC $229,541.75, which remained unpaid when it filed its complaint in March. The firm subsequently accrued $25,249.51 in contractual late fees. Minaj entered into a legal services agreement with the firm in October 2024. Representatives for Minaj have not responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.Minaj has reentered the spotlight in recent weeks as a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. She appeared with the president at a rally in Michigan last week, leading the crowd in a “We love Trump” chant. It was her latest public show of support for a president she had previously vowed never to support. The “Super Bass” singer traveled with the president to the rally aboard Air Force One, where she also participated in a mock interview for the role of White House press secretary. Trump had previously named Katie Zacharia to the position after Karoline Leavitt’s departure. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted a video of Minaj answering a few softball questions in a mock interview for the job on his X account. “Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!” Cheung wrote.