Carol Maraj Settles Dad's Hit-and-Run Case for $400K

Five years after losing her husband in a tragedy that shook the hip-hop world, Carol Maraj has reached a settlement in her wrongful death lawsuit—and the numbers are finally public. The mother of Nicki Minaj secured a $400,000 settlement from Charles Polevich, the driver who struck her husband, Robert Maraj, in a New York crosswalk back in 2021.

Here’s how the payout breaks down: $300,000 came directly from Charles Polevich, with another $100,000 from an insurance company. But Carol’s legal fees tell their own story. After paying her legal team approximately $133,000 in fees and another $9,800 in reimbursements, Robert Maraj’s estate is left with roughly $234,000. It’s a reminder that justice, even when it wins, comes with a steep price tag.

The case itself was contentious from the start. Carol sued Charles for loss of companionship—a claim rooted in the devastating impact of losing a spouse. In the criminal proceedings, Charles was sentenced to a year in jail for Robert’s death. But the civil lawsuit took a turn that threatened to pull Nicki Minaj into the spotlight: Charles attempted to depose the rapper, claiming he wanted to question her about her father based on lyrics she’d written about her childhood. The case could have turned into something far messier.

Instead, both sides reached a settlement before that deposition could happen, sparing Nicki from having to relive family trauma in a courtroom. For Carol Maraj, it’s a moment of closure—though closure in cases like this is always bittersweet. A settlement doesn’t bring anyone back. What it does is acknowledge harm and, in its own limited way, provide some measure of accountability when the legal system can’t restore what was lost.