Kenneth Petty, famous for being married to singer Nicki Minaj, is suing the State of New York to get his name removed from the State’s sex offender registry. The lawsuit, filed yesterday in Federal Court, alleges that Petty was added to the registry without being afforded any opportunity to challenge his placement in violation of his due process rights.

There are more than one million individuals registered on sex offender registries in the United States. These individuals are subjected to shaming, loss of privacy, restricted residence, restricted employment, restricted travel, in-person registration requirements and numerous other harms, long after completing whatever sentence was imposed upon them. No other criminal offense, including murder, carries such harsh consequences.

All are forced to register without their consent. Most have no opportunity to contest their present dangerousness. Many, including thousands in Florida, were added to a registry that was enacted years after their offenses were committed and could not have possibly contemplated the consequences of their pleas because they didn’t exist!

Unfortunately, most on the registry are chronically unemployed or under-employed and cannot afford to challenge their placement. Not so in Mr. Petty’s case. We are hopeful that Mr. Petty has the resources to bring a proper legal challenge and the notoriety to expose the injustice of public registration.

A copy of his complaint can be found here: Kenneth Petty – Complaint

 

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