In 2025, famed rapper Nicki Minaj came dangerously close to having her USD 20 million Hidden Hills mansion auctioned off. On top of that, only a single court signature remained between the hip-hop star and a forced judicial sale. Right on time, Minaj cleared a USD 503,318 default court judgment debt at the last minute, which saved her residence. Read ahead to learn more about the case and what happened with Minaj’s home.
About the 2019 lawsuit that almost made Nicki Minaj lose her USD 20 million home
The incident dates back to 2019, when Thomas Weidenmüller, a security guard working at Nicki Minaj’s concert in Frankfurt, Germany, filed a lawsuit alleging that her husband, Kenneth Petty, had punched him in the face following a backstage dispute. According to the filing, Weidenmüller suffered severe facial injuries that required eight surgeries and five metal plates inserted into his jaw. Initially, the suit had been filed to claim around USD 700,000 for medical bills and damages caused by the incident.Summons were sent to Minaj and Petty; however, the pair failed to respond on time, and a Los Angeles judge granted a default judgment against them for USD 503,318 in March 2024. For an entire year, the amount remained uncleared and unpaid, putting Minaj and Petty in debt. In an attempt to garnish funds, Weidenmüller’s legal team approached seven potential financial payees associated with the artist; however, none were fruitful. They later pursued a motion for a judicial sale of real property under California law.
About Nicki Minaj’s USD 20 million property that the rapper almost lost
As per Celebrity Net Worth, Minaj acquired the property in December 2022 for USD 19.5 million. As for the mortgage balance, around USD 13.3 million was owed to lenders. According to reports, Weidenmüller’s attorneys argued that the USD 6 million equity was more than sufficient to cover the primary mortgage, satisfy the USD 503,318 judgment, pay all accrued interest, cover court fees, and still leave substantial leftover equity for Minaj.How the court case got resolved and how Nicki Minaj saved her home at the last minuteIn 2025, a judge expressed that they would move forward with approving the property sale if the initial debt remained unpaid. Later, the judge set a hearing date for January 22, 2026, to review the missing paperwork and sign the final order to authorise the auction. If the papers had been approved that day, Minaj and Petty would have lost their main residence.On that day, only moments before the judge could finalise the order, Minaj’s legal representation reached out and tendered a full payment of the USD 503,318 that had initially been requested. The amount also included the accrued interest, which forced the sale motion down right at the last minute.Weidenmüller’s legal team also later confirmed that the judgment had been fully satisfied. Minaj’s last-minute action put an end to a seven-year-long struggle to collect damages awarded by the court. Since the amount was paid in full, the judge dismissed the sale proceedings, allowing Minaj to maintain full title to her Hidden Hills residence.
