Tory Lanez files lawsuit for '$1 million per stab wound' against prison over brutal stabbing

Tory Lanez says in a new lawsuit that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation owes him $100 million after a potentially deadly attack in which another inmate stabbed him 16 times.

Lanez (real name: Daystar Peterson) claims that there was a 'failure to protect' him by the prison system and corrections officers at CCI Tehachapi, who allegedly showed 'deliberate indifference' to his safety, according to a copy of his complaint obtained by the Daily Mail.

The 33-year-old Canadian rapper — who was sentenced in 2023 to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet in 2020 — alleges he was brutally stabbed with a homemade shank at the facility in May 2025 by his fellow inmate, Santino Casio, according to the complaint.

Lanez was seen covered in blood after the attack, in which Casio stabbed his head, face, back and torso, leading to him suffering two collapsed lungs, according to the complaint.

He also claims that scarring from the stab wounds to his face has led to permanent scarring, which could harm his commercial potential once he's released, and he's requesting '$1 million per stab wound' as part of the damages.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation declined to comment on pending litigation. The Daily Mail has also reached out to Lanez's representatives for comment. 

The rapper says in the complaint that his attacker, a convicted murderer, should never have been housed near him at CCI Tehachapi, where Lanez was being held after being convicted of first-degree assault with a firearm, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and having a concealed firearm in a vehicle. 

'The choice to house Casio with Peterson was known or should have been a known danger. Casio is currently serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, and attempted first-degree murder, for the killing of his 13-year-old pregnant runaway 'girlfriend' while he was on parole,' Lanez's legal team wrote.

They claim that Warden Danny Samuel and corrections officers showed 'deliberate indifference' when they allegedly ignored protocols requiring inmates to be segregated based on 'risk factors, criminal history, and violence potential,' which they believe should have kept Lanez and Casio apart.

Lanez, who was subsequently transferred to the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo, said that his high-profile status put a bullseye on him.

Moreover, he claims that corrections officers didn't take significant steps to protect him or stop the attack once it began.

'There were not any flash grenades, smoke bombs, or rubber ammunition expelled to stop Casio from stabbing Peterson repeatedly,' the lawsuit, which was previously reported on by the California Post, alleges.

It claims that not only did Lanez suffer potentially life-threatening wounds, but he was also deprived of significant future income after the attack.

'As Plaintiff Peterson was fighting for his life in the hospital, Defendants unlawfully seized Peterson's original song books containing unpublished lyrics with substantial commercial value,' his lawsuit alleges.

It also claims that notes between Lanez and his attorney were included in the books, which allegedly were never inventoried and have not been returned. 

'It is reasonable to value his damages, considering his celebrity status and earning potential, at $1 million per stab wound, $10 million due to facial scarring leading to career harm [and] $25 million for pain and suffering,' Lanez's legal team wrote.

Those damages amount to $51 million, but Lanez is also requesting restitution for 'the property loss of his song books, privileged attorney notes, along with emotional trauma, reputational damage, and the ongoing safety risk that Peterson is currently facing,' for a total of $100 million.

It comes after a chilling 39-second clip emerged on Wednesday showing Lanez stepping out of a cell and pausing near a staircase when the attacker, identified by The Shade Room as Santino Casio, suddenly charges at him. 

The stabbing appears to begin while Lanez is still standing, but he quickly collapses to the floor.

Roughly 21 seconds in, the attacker is seen towering over the rapper, repeatedly jabbing down as Lanez kicks and writhes in a desperate attempt to escape

Throughout the attack, Lanez screams 'oh God' in agony while no one steps in to stop the violence.

Eventually, Lanez manages to scramble away and flee down the stairs, disappearing from the camera’s view just before the clip ends.

Shocking images also show the blood-soaked scene that followed, seen here. 

CCI's Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney's Office were reported to be investigating the attack shortly after it occurred, and the Office of the Inspector General was also alerted.

However, no investigation results have since been released.

Lanez was convicted in 2022 for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.

At the sentencing hearing the following year, Judge David Herriford said that the positive portrait Lanez's relatives and friends had painted in their trial testimony was 'difficult to reconcile' with his actions toward Megan.

'Sometimes good people do bad things,' Herriford told the court, according to the AP. 'Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case.'

In the trial, Megan testified that Lanez had shot at her feet and yelled at her to dance as she was getting out of an SUV following a party at the home of Kylie Jenner.

Megan, who initially did not publicly identify Lanez as the shooter, testified that she had to undergo surgery to take bullet fragments out of her feet.

'Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,' the songstress said in a statement a prosecutor read prior to the sentencing. 'Slowly but surely, I'm healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.'

Prior to his sentence being read, Lanez — who faced up to 22 years in prison — stated his regret for the incident and asked the judge for a short sentence or probation. 

'If I could turn back the series of events that night and change them, I would,' Lanez told the judge. 'The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day. Everything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility for.' 

Lanez was credited ten months for time served, as he had been in custody since his conviction.

Lanez is currently scheduled to be eligible for parole starting in August 2029, according to online California prison records accessed by the Daily Mail.