The hit-and-run driver fatally who struck Nicki Minaj’s father suffered a setback in his attempt to depose the rapper over song lyrics about her late dad, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, a New York judge denied Charles Polevich’s demand that Nicki answer questions under oath about her childhood. Nicki’s mom, Carol Maraj, sued Charles over the February 2021 incident that killed her husband, Robert Maraj.
Robert was walking across the street in Long Island when he was struck by a car. He was rushed to the local hospital but died hours later.
Law enforcement said the driver fled the scene before an ambulance showed up. Officers were able to identity Charles as the driver using surveillance footage.
They claimed he drove home and covered the 1992 Volvo Station Wagon with a tarp. Charles was charged with leaving the scene of an incident and tampering with physical evidence. In court documents, Charles was accused of briefly stopping after striking Robert.
Prosecutors said he asked Robert if he was “OK” but did not call for help before leaving. Charles apologized for his actions and said he was “heartsick since realizing the extent of the tragedy.”
He said there was “no excuse” for his behavior. In 2022, the court sentenced Charles to one year in jail. Before he checked in, Carol slammed him with a $150 million lawsuit.
In court documents, Carol accused Charles of being negligent while driving on the day in question.
Carol’s lawyer said following the suit being filed, “Charles Polevich was not only irresponsible & negligent in hitting [Robert], but was more concerned about running away and hiding than seeking help. Polevich’s behavior was criminal, cowardly, and immoral. We will hold him responsible for his reckless actions that led to Robert Maraj’s death!” At the time, a lawyer for Charles said his client “empathizes with the family.”
However, he said the “$150 million amount seems to be over the top.”
Charles denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the civil lawsuit. He blamed Robert for being “reckless, careless and negligent in crossing the street.”
As part of the lawsuit, Charles grilled Carol about alleged domestic abuse by Robert. He claimed the topic was relevant due to Carol demanding $150 million in damages for her losing Robert’s “comfort” and “companionship.”
Charles pointed out that Nicki had lyrics where she talked about her father being abusive to her mother. In a 2018 interview, Nicki claimed her father drank heavily and he had been violent with her mother during her childhood.
He demanded Nicki be forced to sit for a deposition where he could ask her about the claims.
Carol’s lawyer opposed the rapper being deposed in the case. He argued that lyrics are not confirmed to contain any truth. He said “a majority of, if not all of the lyrics contained in the millions of songs produced yearly are made up, false, fabricated, and do not actually contain true facts.”
Carol said she had been deposed twice and Charles had the chance to get all the answers he wanted from her. She accused Charles of trying to drag Nicki into the case to “drag the litigation” out and called it a “tactic to depose a celebrity.”
Her lawyer said Carol and the family “should not have to be subjected to this harassment.” Charles fired back claiming Carol gave conflicting answers during her deposition He argued that is why Nicki’s testimony is important. At a recent hearing, the court found Nicki’s lyrics pertaining to her father’s alleged domestic abuse “are directly relevant to” Carol’s claim for loss of services.
However, the court denied Charles’ request because he failed to show he tried to contact Nicki’s team about the depo. The court said Charles has 30 days to submit proof he reached out to Nicki before the deposition request will be granted.
