Nicki Minaj’s mother Carol Maraj has filed a $150 million lawsuit against the man accused of fatally striking her husband, Robert Maraj, with his car and has hired personal injury attorneys Ben Crump and Paul J. Napoli to represent her.
Robert Maraj was struck by a car in Mineola, New York and then taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on February 13, 2021. Seventy-year-old Charles Polevich turned himself in several days after the hit-and-run and was charged with two felonies – leaving the scene of an accident that led to death and tampering with or suppressing physical evidence. Polevich pled not guilty and is free on a $250,000 bond.
“He was fatally injured in a hit-and-run accident on February 12, 2021, when he was struck by a car being driven by Charles Polevich as Mr. Maraj walked along a Long Island road. After striking Maraj, Polevich left the accident scene and did not call for emergency services or render aid to Maraj,” Crump wrote on his verified social media accounts.
“He was not only irresponsible and negligent, but 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,” Crump continued.
Polevich’s attorney, Marc C. Gann responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Billboard and claimed his client was remorseful, but felt the $150 million lawsuit was quite excessive,
“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,” wrote Gann.
Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick also spoke with the Associated Press following the accident last month and stated that Polevich made a conscious decision to leave the accident.
“He was absolutely aware of what happened. 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.”
Nicki Minaj has yet to speak on the passing of her father.
