Tory Lanez is seeking $100 million from California corrections officials after being stabbed repeatedly while in state prison, alleging the attack was foreseeable and preventable.
The rapper, currently serving a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was stabbed approximately 16 times on May 12, 2025, by a fellow inmate at California Correctional Institution Tehachapi. Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, said the attacker used a homemade shank and inflicted wounds across his face, head, torso, and back that left permanent scarring and two collapsed lungs.
Peterson was airlifted to a hospital where he required a ventilator before being discharged and transferred to California Men's Colony.
The core allegation centers on housing decisions. Peterson claims prison officials "knowingly" placed him with an inmate who had a documented history of violent behavior, violating standard protocols for separating inmates based on risk factors. The lawsuit asserts this arrangement created a "known danger" given the attacker's criminal record and prior acts of violence in custody.
Peterson also contends that prison staff delayed their response to the attack, allowing it to continue unchecked. He characterizes this as "deliberate indifference to foreseeable violence."
The Tehachapi facility was among several California prisons that temporarily restricted movement in high-security sections during March 2025 in response to a surge in violence involving both staff and incarcerated people, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Beyond the physical assault claims, Peterson's suit demands the return of what he describes as unpublished song books seized by staff while he was hospitalized. He claims these lyrics have substantial commercial value.
In a grievance letter filed with the lawsuit in June 2025, Peterson alleged staff "have constantly used various tactics to exploit me" and suggested his attack may have been connected to theft of his intellectual property. He emphasized his celebrity status and the high-profile nature of his underlying case.
Peterson was convicted in December 2022 of three felonies for the shooting that wounded Megan Thee Stallion two years earlier. He received 10 years, well below the 22-year maximum. Thee Stallion testified that Peterson shot her feet and demanded she dance as she walked away from a car after a Hollywood Hills party. She required surgery to remove bullet fragments.
A California appeals court rejected Peterson's bid for a new trial in November. The state corrections department declined comment, citing pending litigation.
Author James Rodriguez: "Peterson's lawsuit hinges on whether prison officials can be shown to have recklessly ignored warning signs, but California will likely argue standard housing decisions don't rise to the legal threshold of deliberate indifference."
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