Tory Lanez is suing the California Department of Corrections for $100 Million following an incident last year where he was stabbed 16 times while in prison.
According to documents obtained by XXL, Tory Lanez’s filed a complaint through his attorney on April 14 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, accusing the CDOC, multiple corrections officers and the prison warden of failure to protect, negligent supervision, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violation of privacy rights and conversion. The lawsuit stems from a May 2025 incident in which the incarcerated rapper was stabbed 16 times by another inmate at the prison in Tehachapi where he was being held.
Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, is serving a 10-year sentence after being found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet after a dramatic jury trial in December of 2022. On May 12, 2025, the rapper-singer was attacked by Santino Casio, another inmate, who is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
Lanez argues in his lawsuit that prison officials failed to account for the grave danger posed by his placement near Casio, particularly given the latter’s violent history — including a 2008 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon and a 2018 charge for manufacturing a weapon while incarcerated — and Lanez’s own status as a high-profile celebrity. They also questioned why there weren’t any correctional staff present and the response being delayed, allowing the full attack to happen.
Lanez suffered stab wounds to his back, torso, back of head and face along with two collapsed lungs. He was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. After his recovery, he was transferred to another prison, the California Men’s Colony, in San Luis Obispo County (California).
Additionally, Lanez accuses the prison of unlawfully seizing his songbooks with unpublished lyrics that have future commercial value, as well as correspondences between him and his attorney, and refused to return them.
In his court filing, Lanez is seeking a trial by jury and $100 million in damages to cover medical bills, physical pain and suffering, emotional trauma, permanent scarring to his face, lasting lung damage and the loss of future earning potential.
XXL has reached out to Tory Lanez’s attorney and the California Department of Corrections for comment.
Read Tory Lanez’s Lawsuit Against California Prisons Over His Stabbing Last Year
Watch An Entertainment Attorney’s Analysis of Tory Lanez’s Lawsuit Against California Prisons
