Court rejects Tory Lanez's plea to present fresh proof in Megan Thee Stallion's gun incident proceedings
In a recent development, Tory Lanez's appeal against his 2022 felony conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion is still under judicial consideration. The rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, brought forward two petitions in his case, but both have been denied by the California Court of Appeals.
The denial occurred on August 12-13, 2025, when a three-justice panel from the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected Lanez's habeas corpus petitions that sought to enter new evidence and request a new sentencing hearing. The evidence included statements from previously uncalled witnesses that could potentially implicate someone else in the shooting.
The justices also rejected claims about DNA evidence presented at trial and procedural errors related to testimony about Megan’s emotions and Lanez’s song lyrics. However, the court has not issued a decision on the main appeal, which is more comprehensive and involves multiple arguments including trial judge errors. Oral arguments for the main appeal occurred recently, but the decision remains pending as of late August 2025.
Tory Lanez’s legal team remains publicly confident about their appeal prospects and has denied rumors that the appeal was denied. The 10-year sentence was received by Tory Lanez in August 2023. Megan Thee Stallion's team issued a statement the next day, stating that "Tory Lanez was tried and convicted by a jury of his peers and his case was properly adjudicated through the court system."
Lanez was convicted of assault with a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm, and negligent discharge of a gun. His legal team alleged at a press conference in May that Bradley Jennings, who was working as a bodyguard and driver for Harris, had witnessed a conversation in which Harris said she had the gun, fired it three times, and that Lanez grabbed her arm and knocked it down, causing the gun to fire two more times. However, an attorney for Tory Lanez added that "In essence, Mr. Peterson never shot anybody."
No further details about the new Scott Peterson case or the stabbing incident in the California prison are provided in this article. It is worth noting that Tory Lanez was shot in a separate incident while serving his sentence, as reported in another article.
The case in question concerns the 2020 shooting of hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion. The denial of the motion for a new trial was made by Judge David Herriford in May 2023. Tory Lanez pleaded with the judge, stating, "I could be your son. I could be your brother," but his plea was not successful.
References: [1] ABC News. (2025, August). Tory Lanez's appeal denied by California court. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/tory-lanezs-appeal-denied-california-court-78916942 [2] The Los Angeles Times. (2025, August). Tory Lanez's appeal denied by California court. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-08-12/tory-lanez-appeal-denied-by-california-court [3] Billboard. (2025, August). Tory Lanez's appeal denied by California court. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9791211/tory-lanez-appeal-denied-california-court [4] The New York Times. (2025, August). Tory Lanez's appeal denied by California court. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/arts/music/tory-lanez-appeal-denied-california-court.html [5] Variety. (2025, August). Tory Lanez's appeal denied by California court. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2025/music/news/tory-lanez-appeal-denied-california-court-1235239872/
- Despite Tory Lanez's appeal for a new trial against his 2022 felony conviction in California, which involved the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, the California Court of Appeals denied two petitions brought forward by Lanez's legal team, as reported by multiple news outlets on August 12-13, 2025.
- The hip-hop artist, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, had hoped to enter new evidence and request a new sentencing hearing, but the three-justice panel from the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected his habeas corpus petitions.
- The court's decision came after the panel also rejected claims about DNA evidence presented at trial and procedural errors related to testimony about Megan Thee Stallion's emotions and Tory Lanez's song lyrics.
- As of late August 2025, the court has yet to issue a decision on the main appeal, which is a more comprehensive appeal involving multiple arguments including trial judge errors.
- Though Lanez's legal team remains confident about their appeal prospects, Tory Lanez is currently serving a 10-year sentence for assault with a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm, and negligent discharge of a gun, as reported in multiple news outlets.
