Tory Lanez’s prison stabbing lawsuit faces dismissal request from California

Although Tory Lanez’s career has continued to gain momentum during his incarceration, the rapper remains caught up in several serious challenges. His efforts to overturn his conviction were recently blocked by the California Supreme Court, and he is also still coping with the consequences of being stabbed in prison. Lanez launched a $100 million lawsuit in California over the attack in April, but the case has now encountered another obstacle. Court documents submitted on July 29 show that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, known as CDCR, believes the federal court has no authority to hear claims against the agency. According to AllHipHop, CDCR is asking the judge to permanently dismiss Lanez’s complaint, meaning his attorneys would not be allowed to revise and submit it again. The legal action stems from the May 2025 assault on Lanez while he was serving time at California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi. Authorities claimed fellow prisoner Santino Casio used a makeshift weapon to stab the artist 16 times in the head, face, back and torso. Lanez suffered two punctured lungs and had to be flown to a Bakersfield hospital for emergency treatment. He was placed on a ventilator before eventually recovering. Lanez later opened up about the emotional toll of the attack during an interview. “Truthfully, I’ve done my best to keep my head above water, but mentally, I’ve gone through trauma that I sometimes even struggle with,” Lanez shared. Tory Lanez’s Lawsuit Faces Possible Dismissal Attorneys representing Lanez argue that prison authorities did not take proper steps to keep him safe, even though Casio reportedly had a lengthy record of violent behavior and disciplinary infractions while incarcerated. The lawsuit further claims officers were slow to intervene and did not use emergency procedures that may have reduced the severity of Lanez’s wounds. In addition to the financial compensation being requested, Lanez’s lawyers claim officials took notebooks containing his unreleased songs and never gave them back. CDCR argues that the federal civil rights law referenced in the lawsuit does not allow the agency to be named as a defendant. It also maintains that the Eleventh Amendment shields it from the federal and state claims included in Lanez’s complaint.