Nicki Minaj’s mother has filed a civil lawsuit against Charles Polevich, the man accused of fatally hitting the rapper’s father, Robert Maraj, with his car. According to USA Today, Carol Maraj is suing Polevich for $150 million. Attorneys Paul Napoli and Ben Crump have taken on Carol’s case.
“Paul Napoli and I have filed a $150 million lawsuit in the hit-and-run death of Robert Maraj, [Nicki Minaj’s] father,” Crump wrote on Twitter. “Charles Polevich was not only irresponsible & negligent in hitting Maraj, but was more concerned about running away and hiding than seeking help.”
He added, “Polevich’s behavior was criminal, cowardly and immoral. We will hold him responsible for his reckless actions that led to Robert Maraj’s death!”
Last month, Polevich surrendered to the police. According to authorities, the 70-year-old man was driving on a Long Island road on Feb. 12 when he hit Nicki Minaj’s father. Nassau County Police Department officials believe Polevich stopped to see if Robert Maraj was ok, but ultimately got back into his car and fled the scene instead of calling for help. Robert was taken to a hospital after the accident, but tragically passed away shortly after.
“He was absolutely aware of what happened,” Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick told the Associated Press. “He got out of the car and he looked at the deceased, got into his car and made the conscious decision to leave instead of dialing 911; instead of calling an ambulance for the man. He went home and secluded the vehicle. He’s well aware of what he did.”
Polevich is charged with leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with physical evidence. His lawyer, Marc C. Gann, responded to the $150 million lawsuit in the following statement, per USA Today:
“Mr. Polevich has expressed empathy and condolences to the Maraj family. While the civil suit is not unexpected, the criminal charges pending against Mr. Polevich have no bearing on the civil case. It has yet to be determined whether there was any negligence involved in the accident or the degrees of any negligence. I will add that the amount demanded is shocking to say the least and I don’t believe is in any way reasonable.”