Tory Lanez Files $100 Million Lawsuit Against California Prison System
Tory Lanez has officially filed a $100 million lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections, citing negligence following a harrowing incident in May 2025 where the rapper was stabbed multiple times while incarcerated. Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, is currently serving a 10-year sentence related to the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
Details of the Prison Attack
The legal filing names the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, along with the facility’s warden and specific security staff, as defendants. According to the lawsuit, Peterson was subjected to an “unprovoked life-threatening attack” by a fellow inmate, identified as Santino Casio, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. The assault resulted in Peterson being stabbed 16 times, leading to severe injuries including a collapsed lung and wounds to his torso, back, and head.
The lawsuit alleges that the prison system failed in its duty of care by housing Peterson—a high-profile individual whose celebrity status made him a clear target—with an inmate known for violent tendencies. The filing argues that the decision to place Casio in the same housing unit as Peterson was a known or foreseeable danger that the facility failed to mitigate.
Allegations of Negligence
Beyond the initial failure to protect, the lawsuit highlights significant lapses in the prison’s emergency response protocols. The legal documents claim that correctional officers were slow to intervene during the attack and failed to utilize standard safety measures, such as flash grenades, which could have halted the violence more effectively. Notably, the lawsuit points out that Casio was not formally charged for the stabbing of Peterson following the incident.
In addition to the physical trauma, the lawsuit addresses the loss of personal property. Peterson alleges that upon his transfer to the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo following his hospitalization, he was never reunited with his personal belongings from the Tehachapi facility. These missing items reportedly included songbooks containing lyrics to unreleased music, representing a significant loss of intellectual property.
Peterson’s legal team continues to challenge the circumstances of his incarceration. Despite his conviction on multiple firearms charges in December 2022, his legal battles have persisted, including a failed appeal in November 2025 that upheld his 10-year sentence. This new lawsuit marks a significant escalation in his ongoing conflict with the state’s correctional system.
