Tory Lanez has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and prison officials, per pitchfork.com.
The legal action follows a May 2025 incident in which the Canadian rapper was stabbed approximately 16 times by a fellow inmate, resulting in permanent scarring and collapsed lungs.
Filed on April 14, the lawsuit alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and a failure to protect. Legal documents state that on May 12, 2025, Lanez sustained multiple wounds to his torso, back, face, and head. He was airlifted to Kern Medical Center in critical condition and required a ventilator before being transferred to the California Men’s Colony.
The claim asserts that prison authorities violated safety protocols by housing Lanez with Santino Casio, a high-security inmate serving a life sentence for murder. The filing argues that officials were aware of Casio’s violent history and failed to account for Lanez’s vulnerability as a high-profile figure. According to the suit, no guards were present during the attack, demonstrating a “deliberate indifference” to foreseeable violence.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is currently serving a 10-year sentence at the facility. He was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts related to the 2020 shooting of fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion. Despite his conviction and subsequent sentencing in August 2023, Lanez has continued to maintain his innocence throughout his incarceration.
The lawsuit highlights ongoing concerns regarding inmate safety and classification within the California penal system, specifically concerning the protection of high-profile inmates from maximum-security violent offenders.
•Featured image: Tory Lanez in 2022/Greg Doherty/Getty Images
