Rapper Tory Lanez has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the California prison system. This comes following a brutal attack that left him hospitalized.
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The federal lawsuit stems from an incident last year in which Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was stabbed 16 times while incarcerated.
The 33-year-old filed the suit on Tuesday against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. As well as the warden and correctional officers at the Tehachapi facility where he was held.
Tory Lanez Sues Prison System After Brutal Stabbing
Peterson is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in 2020.
He was found guilty in December 2022 on three felony counts: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
The lawsuit centers on a violent May 2025 incident involving fellow inmate Santino Casio.
Casio is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
Peterson and Casio were housed together at the time of the attack.
According to the lawsuit, the incident was an "unprovoked life-threatening attack," with Casio allegedly using a homemade "shank."
Peterson is said to have been stabbed 16 times across his back, torso, head, and face. He reportedly suffered a collapsed lung and required emergency airlift to hospital.
His legal team argues that he should never have been placed in the same unit as Casio.
Lawsuit Alleges Negligence and Mishandling by Prison Officials
Casio's criminal history includes a 2008 conviction for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon. He also has a 2018 conviction for manufacturing a deadly weapon.
According to the Associated Press, there is no record of additional charges being filed against Casio in connection with the attack.
"'The choice to house Casio with Peterson was known or should have been a known danger,' the lawsuit says," the report states. "It alleges that correctional officers' response was slow, and no special measures like flash grenades or smoke bombs were used to stop Casio."
"It says the institution housed the men together despite the rapper's 'high-profile celebrity status,' which made him a target."
Following the incident, Peterson was transferred to California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo County.
The lawsuit also alleges that prison officials seized Peterson's songbooks. They are said to have contained unreleased lyrics of significant future commercial value.
The officials allegedly refused to return the songbooks.
