Already serving a decade behind bars, Tory Lanez is now taking legal action over a prison attack he says should never have happened.
The rapper has filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and a corrections officer, claiming neglect, failure to protect, and intentional infliction of emotional distress following a 2025 incident in which he was stabbed “approximately 16 times” by another inmate. According to court documents, he is seeking $100 million in damages.
The attack took place on May 12, 2025, when Lanez sustained multiple stab wounds to his back, torso, face, and the back of his head. The injuries left him with two collapsed lungs and permanent scarring. He was airlifted to Kern Medical Center in critical condition, placed on a ventilator, and later transferred to California Men’s Colony after receiving treatment.
In the lawsuit, filed April 14 in federal court, Lanez alleges prison officials knowingly placed him in the same unit as Santino Casio, an inmate serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. The filing describes Casio as a “known danger” and a maximum-security violent offender.
“Despite [Casio’s] classification… and [Lanez’s] high-profile celebrity status, which makes him a target, [officials] knowingly housed them together,” the lawsuit states, arguing that this violated prison classification protocols. It also claims correctional staff were not immediately present during the attack and that response was delayed, allowing the assault to continue.
The filing further alleges “deliberate indifference to foreseeable violence,” noting that force was not used in time to prevent or stop the attack despite warning signs within the facility.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is currently serving a 10-year sentence handed down on August 8, 2023, following his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. He was found guilty of assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, and negligent discharge of a gun. Lanez has continued to maintain his innocence, while Megan’s attorney Alex Spiro previously said, “The jury got it right.”
The lawsuit now shifts focus to conditions inside the prison system — and whether officials will be held accountable for the alleged failure to protect a high-profile inmate from a violent attack.