Megan Thee Stallion has formally petitioned a Los Angeles court for a restraining order against rapper Tory Lanez, who is presently incarcerated, serving a ten-year sentence for his conviction related to the 2020 shooting incident involving her. Her legal representatives contended that he has been orchestrating an insidious “campaign of harassment” directed at her from within the confines of prison.
In documentation submitted on Tuesday to the Superior Court in Los Angeles, Mari Henderson, an attorney for Megan Thee Stallion, asserted that Lanez has sought to inflict psychological torment upon her by employing various bloggers to disseminate defamatory narratives about her across digital platforms.
Furthermore, her legal counsel indicated that Lanez had filed court documents asserting violations of his legal rights exactly one day prior to the scheduled premiere of a documentary centered on Megan Thee Stallion’s life. Collectively, they argue in their filings that this pattern of harassment has engendered considerable emotional distress for Megan Thee Stallion and has deleteriously impacted her public image.
Efforts to contact an attorney representing Mr. Lanez have yet to yield a response.
Mr. Lanez, whose birth name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted in late 2022 on three felony counts after a jury determined he had shot Megan Thee Stallion in both feet ensuing a heated argument. In this polarizing case, which has incited considerable discussion regarding violence against Black women, he ultimately received a ten-year prison sentence.
While advocating for the restraining order, Megan Thee Stallion’s attorneys referenced a specific blogger who they claimed has propagated numerous falsehoods about her and the integrity of the criminal trial. Notably, Megan Thee Stallion has initiated a separate defamation lawsuit against this blogger, amending it earlier this month. Her legal team highlighted prison call logs they assert indicate this blogger received compensation for their efforts.
Moreover, the attorneys cited disparaging statements made by Lanez on social media immediately subsequent to his conviction, in which he questioned the fairness of the trial proceedings. They further accused him of perpetuating a misleading rumor in October, falsely suggesting that an appellate court had absolved him of guilt.
Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
Vocabulary List:
- Restraining /rɪˈstreɪnɪŋ/ (adjective): Imposing limits on someone’s actions to protect another person.
- Harassment /həˈræsmənt/ (noun): Aggressive pressure or intimidation typically causing distress.
- Defamatory /dɪˈfæmətɔri/ (adjective): Tending to harm the reputation of another by making false statements.
- Orchestrating /ˈɔːr.kə.strate/ (verb): Arranging or directing the elements of a complex situation to achieve a desired outcome.
- Conviction /kənˈvɪkʃən/ (noun): A formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense.
- Misleading /mɪsˈliː.dɪŋ/ (adjective): Causing someone to have a wrong idea or impression about something.
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