Five years after a Long Island crosswalk turned into a tragedy, the civil legal battle over the death of Robert Maraj — father of Grammy-winning rapper Nicki Minaj — has finally come to a close. According to TMZ, Charles Polevich, the man who struck and killed Robert Maraj with his vehicle in February 2021 and fled the scene, has reached a settlement with Maraj’s widow, Carol Maraj, ending a civil lawsuit that became as legally complicated as it was personally devastating.
The settlement, finalized in early March, caps a case that stretched across criminal prosecution, guilty pleas, jail time, and a last-ditch effort by Polevich to subpoena Nicki Minaj herself for a deposition. The deposition never materialized. The case is now closed — but the legal questions it raised about wrongful death claims, settlement strategy, and what families are owed when a loved one is taken too soon are worth examining closely.
What Happened: A Hit-and-Run That Shocked the Country
On the evening of February 12, 2021, Robert Maraj was struck by a vehicle while crossing a street in Mineola, New York. The driver — later identified as Charles Polevich — did not stop to render aid or call for help. He fled. Maraj, who was 65 years old, died from his injuries the following day.
Surveillance footage helped Nassau County authorities track Polevich down within days. He turned himself in on February 17, 2021. The criminal case moved relatively quickly: Polevich pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and tampering with evidence. In August 2022, he was sentenced to one year in jail.
The criminal case resolved. But for Carol Maraj, the legal fight was far from over.
The Civil Lawsuit: Seeking Accountability Beyond Criminal Court
Shortly after Robert’s death, Carol Maraj filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $150 million in damages. The suit alleged that she suffered significant loss — including loss of companionship, consortium, and financial support — as a direct result of Polevich’s actions.
This is a critical distinction most people miss: a criminal conviction and a civil wrongful death claim are entirely separate legal processes. Polevich going to jail did not resolve Carol’s right to seek civil damages. A guilty plea in criminal court can actually strengthen a wrongful death claim, because it removes the question of fault. The defendant has already admitted wrongdoing under oath.
Wrongful death claims, as recognized under laws in New York and most other states, allow surviving family members to pursue compensation for both economic and non-economic losses. These can include funeral expenses, loss of future income the deceased would have earned, and the emotional pain of losing a spouse or parent. According to the American Bar Association, who qualifies to file and what damages are available depends heavily on state law — which is why having experienced legal representation matters enormously.
The Unusual Twist: Trying to Depose Nicki Minaj
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising chapter of this civil case came when Polevich’s legal team attempted to subpoena Nicki Minaj for a deposition. His lawyers reportedly wanted to question her about her music lyrics — specifically, references to her childhood and her parents’ relationship — as a way to argue that Carol and Robert’s marriage was troubled. The implied logic: a difficult marriage might reduce the damages owed for loss of companionship.
It was a legally aggressive and deeply personal move. Nicki is not a party to the civil lawsuit. Using a celebrity’s song lyrics as evidence of the quality of her parents’ marriage is, to put it plainly, a stretch — and the strategy ultimately went nowhere. The deposition was never taken. The settlement was reached before it ever became necessary.
This kind of maneuvering is not uncommon in high-stakes wrongful death litigation. Defense teams will sometimes attempt to reduce perceived damages by challenging the quality of the relationship between the survivor and the deceased, or by casting doubt on the financial dependency of the plaintiff. Families navigating this process deserve attorneys who are prepared to push back.
What a Settlement Means — and What It Doesn’t
The terms of the settlement between Carol Maraj and Charles Polevich have not been made public. That’s standard. Most civil settlements include confidentiality clauses that prevent either party from disclosing the financial terms.
What a settlement does mean is that both parties agreed to end the litigation without going to trial. For plaintiffs, this usually provides a guaranteed outcome — avoiding the uncertainty of a jury verdict. For defendants, it often caps financial exposure and avoids prolonged public proceedings. Neither outcome signals weakness or wrongdoing beyond what’s already established. In this case, Polevich had already admitted criminal guilt; the civil settlement simply brought finality to a grief-stricken family’s legal journey.
Importantly, Carol Maraj had representation. She brought this case, fought through years of legal battles including attempts to drag her famous daughter into the proceedings, and ultimately secured a resolution. That process — while painful — is exactly what the civil justice system is designed to allow.
Why Cases Like This Matter for Everyday Families
The Maraj case is high-profile because of who Nicki Minaj is. But the legal fundamentals at play are the same ones that affect ordinary families across the country every single day.
When someone dies due to another person’s negligence — whether it’s a hit-and-run driver in New York, a distracted driver on a Tennessee highway, or a property owner who ignored a known hazard — surviving family members have legal rights worth asserting. Those rights often come with deadlines, called statutes of limitations, that vary by state. Missing those windows can permanently close the door on recovery.
Families dealing with the sudden, wrongful loss of a loved one are not just emotionally devastated — they’re often financially exposed. The income that person provided, the care they gave, the future they contributed to: all of it is gone. Civil law exists precisely to address that loss with more than a criminal sentence served by the person responsible.
For families in Tennessee who find themselves in similar circumstances, connecting with experienced wrongful death attorneys in Dunlap, TN early in the process can make a meaningful difference in understanding what options exist and how much time there is to act.
Key Takeaways from the Maraj Case
- A criminal conviction and a civil wrongful death claim are separate — one does not replace the other.
- Surviving spouses and family members may be entitled to damages for loss of companionship, income, and more.
- Defense attorneys in civil cases may use aggressive tactics, including attempts to depose third parties or challenge the quality of relationships, to limit damages.
- Most wrongful death settlements are confidential, and settlement does not imply a weak case — it often signals a negotiated certainty over trial risk.
- Acting quickly matters. Every state has a statute of limitations on wrongful death claims, and those deadlines are firm.
Final Thoughts
Robert Maraj was a father, a husband, and a man whose life was cut short by a driver who chose to flee rather than take responsibility. The criminal system punished that choice with a year in jail. The civil system — through years of litigation, legal maneuvering, and ultimately a settlement — gave his widow a measure of closure and accountability that went beyond the criminal outcome.
The law won’t bring anyone back. But for families left behind, pursuing a wrongful death claim is often a meaningful act of honoring the person they lost — and protecting the financial future the deceased helped build.