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- Nicki Minaj's mother, Carol Maraj, filed a $150 million lawsuit against the man charged in a hit-and-run that killed the rapper's father.
- Robert Maraj, 64, died on February 13 after being struck by a car on Long Island.
- Charles Polevich, 70, was arrested in connection to the incident.
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Nicki Minaj's mother filed a $150 million lawsuit against the man who is facing charges in connection to a hit-and-run accident that killed the rapper's father.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Paul J. Napoli filed the lawsuit on Friday in the Supreme Court of the State of New York on behalf of Carol Maraj.
The Nassau County Police Department confirmed with Insider that Robert Maraj died on Saturday, February 13, at the age of 64.
He was walking on a roadway between Roslyn Road and Raff Avenue in Mineola, New York, on February 12 when a vehicle struck him at 6:15 p.m. Robert was transported to a local hospital, where he was in critical condition before he succumbed to his injuries.
Four days after his death, Nassau County authorities said 70-year-old Charles Polevich was arrested in connection with the incident after turning himself in.
In a news conference last month, Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said Polevich was "absolutely aware of what happened" during the incident, the Associated Press reported.
"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," said Fitzpatrick.
He added: "He went home and secluded the vehicle. He's well aware of what he did."
Polevich was charged with leaving the scene of an auto accident with a fatality and tampering with evidence.
-Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) March 19, 2021
"Charles Polevich was not only irresponsible and negligent in hitting Robert Maraj, but he was more concerned about running away and hiding himself than in seeking help for the man he injured," Crump and Napoli wrote in a statement.
"His behavior was criminal, cowardly and, immoral," the statement said. "Through the filing of this lawsuit, we intend to hold Polevich responsible for his reckless actions and achieve justice for the victim's widow."
Polevich and Nicki Minaj's representatives did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.
Polevich's attorney, Marc C. Gann, said in a statement to Billboard that his client expressed sympathies 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," Gann wrote. "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."