Nicki Minaj may be facing a costly bill as a dispute over allegedly damaged jewellery is headed to court. West Hollywood jeweler Roseark loaned Minaj a set of jewellery to wear for a public appearance, expecting it to be returned soon afterwards. This is a fairly typical arrangement for celebrities, with the jeweler getting some free advertising, and the celebrity getting to look good in the finest attire and accessories.
Roseark claims that they agreed to loan Minaj 66 pieces of jewellery to be returned within a week, together with an agreement that if they were damaged, she’d cover the costs of repair. However, Roseark says they missed the deadline and when the bling was finally returned, there was “noticeable damage” to a pair of earrings and a ring. They promptly sent Minaj’s team an invoice for $26,239.50 (plus interest), but haven’t been paid.
This is now heading to court, and it looks like there’s going to be quite the battle. Minaj’s attorney Jordan Siev has denied that his client has done anything wrong, after speaking to TMZ.
“We have not been presented with any evidence that any of the jewelry at issue was damaged by Nicki. This lawsuit appears to be nothing more than an ordinary insurance claim by the jeweler designed to generate publicity for itself and extract a payment to which it is not entitled. We will defend the lawsuit vigorously.”
Minaj’s team are adamant that the loaned items were indeed returned on time, and points out that it was only some time after they’d been returned that the jewelers noticed the damage (implying that perhaps they were damaged after they’d been returned).
Roseark isn’t buying it, and the fact that they’re taking this to court implies they’ve got receipts. We doubt a major Hollywood jeweler really wants the negative publicity of taking Minaj to court, so perhaps a settlement is on the way. If not, Minaj and her team could be taking the stand sometime later this year as a judge decides who’s at fault.