Tory Lanez was held in contempt of court for refusing to answer basic questions during his third jailhouse deposition in Megan Thee Stallion’s defamation and cyberstalking lawsuit against YouTube blogger Milagro Gramz.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, must pay $20,000 to Megan’s lawyers “as a fine for his obstruction of Plaintiff’s multiple attempts to depose him,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid wrote in her ruling filed Sunday.
The new ruling, which also fined Peterson’s lawyer, Crystal Morgan, came as Megan’s lawsuit against Gramz started with jury selection in Miami on Monday. The judge said Peterson’s bad behavior at his deposition on Friday included the musician asking at the outset what the consequence would be if he declined to answer questions. When told he could be held in contempt and fined, he allegedly responded, “Whatever the fines are, I’ll pay them. I’m a millionaire. I don’t care.”
Judge Reid wrote that Peterson “stormed out of the room” at one point and called Megan’s lawyer a liar who should “calm down.” The judge said Peterson refused to answer the question of “how he came to learn of or met” Gramz, whose legal name is Milagro Cooper. He also declined to answer whether he has ever communicated with Cooper and whether he was involved in communication with Cooper on Instagram or via text message. In her ruling, Judge Reid recommended that the jury be “instructed that Mr. Peterson was properly asked the three questions listed above, but refused to answer and ultimately terminated the deposition without answering any questions.”
Peterson was previously ordered to pay Megan’s legal fees after he was combative and feigned ignorance of basic facts during a videotaped deposition in April.
The April deposition marked the first time Peterson was forced to answer questions under oath since he was accused of assaulting Megan with a semi-automatic firearm on a residential street in Los Angeles five years ago. Peterson is now serving a 10-year sentence after being found guilty of shooting Megan in both feet during the alcohol-fueled incident that followed a party at Kylie Jenner’s house.
Megan requested the deposition leading up to her trial against Cooper. She claims Cooper spread “vicious and hateful rumors” about her while acting as Peterson’s “paid surrogate.”
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Peterson, 33, declined to testify in his own defense at his December 2022 criminal trial that ended with his conviction on all three felony counts. He appealed the verdict and sentence but recently lost that effort in California’s Second Appellate District.
A source previously told Rolling Stone that Peterson regretted not testifying in his own defense. A spokesman for the non-profit organization whose lawyers now represent Peterson has said the incarcerated musician was not likely to cooperate with his deposition.
“If you know Tory Lanez how I do, good luck trying to get him to ‘testify’ to anything, it’s just not what he does,” Ceasar McDowell, CEO of Unite the People, said in a statement previously sent to Rolling Stone. “He definitely did not ‘agree’ to testify now.” Cooper’s lawyer, Michael Pancier, confirmed that his client did not oppose the deposition.
Megan first sued Cooper in October of last year, claiming the YouTuber was part of a “coordinated campaign” to smear her reputation and harass her as retaliation for her testimony against Peterson at trial. Megan claims Cooper has repeatedly attacked her with claims Megan suffers from alcoholism and requires a guardian. She also alleges Cooper promoted a deepfake pornographic video of her.
Cooper denies conspiring with Peterson and tried to get the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that she was shielded as a journalist. A federal judge allowed Megan’s lawsuit to proceed, saying the Grammy-winning rapper made a “compelling case” that Cooper acted with a “reckless disregard for the truth.”
Cooper’s alleged ties to Peterson were mentioned in Megan’s related petition for a restraining order against Peterson. Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, claimed that Peterson used Cooper as a “puppet and mouthpiece,” pointing to social media posts from October in which Cooper highlighted Peterson’s false claim that the gun used in the July 2020 assault had “gone missing.” The gun remains in police custody.
At a hearing in January, Megan gave emotional testimony that touched on her claims about Cooper without naming her directly. “I haven’t been at peace since I been shot, and I’m just trying to be un-harassed, not only by the person who shot me, but by the people he’s been paying to continue to harass me,” she testified under oath. “I probably won’t ever have my own peace about the situation, but I just really want the harassment from the person who shot me to stop.”
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Bloom granted the request, giving Megan a five-year restraining order against Peterson. The judge cited “several uncontroverted facts” in his ruling, including “conduct that culminated in [Lanez] shooting approximately five rounds at petitioner that resulted in injuries to her.” The judge said Peterson must stay at least 100 yards away from Megan and refrain from harassing, intimidating, or threatening her in any way until at least Jan. 9, 2030.
From Rolling Stone US
