Tory Lanez has initiated a $100 million lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections (CDOC) in response to a violent attack he endured while incarcerated.
The rapper claims the department failed to protect him, resulting in severe injuries and emotional distress.
The legal complaint, filed by Lanez’s attorney on April 14 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, names the CDOC, various corrections officers, and the prison warden as defendants.
The case arises from a May 2025 incident in which Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was brutally stabbed 16 times by a fellow inmate at a Tehachapi prison facility where Lanez was serving a 10-year sentence.
Lanez’s incarceration stems from his December 2022 conviction for shooting fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion in the feet. The attacker in this instance, identified as Santino Casio, is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
Moreover, Casio has a history of violent offenses, including a 2008 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon and a 2018 charge for manufacturing a weapon while incarcerated.
In the lawsuit, Lanez alleges that prison officials negligently placed him near the high-risk inmate despite clear evidence of Casio’s violent past. Furthermore, the complaint criticizes the prison for a lack of supervision during the attack and an inadequate response, which allowed the stabbing to fully unfold without intervention.
As a result of the assault, Lanez suffered extensive injuries, including stab wounds to his back, torso, head, and face, as well as two collapsed lungs. He was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition and subsequently transferred to a different facility — the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo County — after recovering.
Lanez also accuses prison authorities of seizing personal belongings, including songbooks filled with unpublished lyrics, which he claims have significant future commercial value. He further alleges that correspondence with his attorney was unlawfully confiscated and remains unreturned.
In his filing, Lanez seeks a jury trial and $100 million in damages. The requested amount includes compensation for medical expenses, physical pain, emotional trauma, permanent facial scarring, lasting lung damage, and lost future earnings.
