Tory Lanez Attempts To Disqualify Judge Over Favoritism

Tory Lanez and his legal team want to disqualify Judge David Herriford.

BYCole Blake
BMI's How I Wrote That Song 2018

Tory Lanez and his legal team, comprised of lawyers Matthew Barhoma and Jose Baez, have filed a motion to disqualify Judge David Herriford. They claim the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has shown favoritism to the prosecution. In addition to presiding over Lanez's two-week trial in December, he also rejected the rapper’s motion for a new trial.

“Conversely, the judge gave the People a full and fair opportunity to present argument uninterrupted, even when the case cited by the People did not stand for the proposition that they advanced,” the defense attorneys wrote in their filing.

Read More: Tory Lanez’s New Trial Motion Denied, Rapper’s Attorneys Seek To Have Judge Dismissed

Tory Lanez In Concert

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 04: Tory Lanez performs at Bridgestone Arena on September 04, 2019, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

They continued: “Together, these facts reveal such a high degree of favoritism or antagonism as to make fair judgment impossible. Given these facts, a reasonable person would fairly entertain doubts concerning the judge’s impartiality. As a result, disqualification is required.”

Herriford previously dismissed accusations of favoritism in a written order at the time Lanez filed a motion for a new trial.“I am not prejudiced or biased against or in favor of any party to this proceeding or their counsel,” he wrote at the time. “All rulings made by me in this action have been based upon facts and arguments officially presented to me and upon my understanding of the law. … All statements made by me and all actions taken by me in this proceeding have been done in furtherance of what I believe were my judicial duties.”

A jury found Lanez guilty on three felony counts in regard to the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion in December. He faces a maximum of 22 years and eight months in prison. Prosecutors have been open about wanting a harsh sentence for Lanez. They argue he “demonstrated a high level of callousness" with the shooting and the court should punish him accordingly. His sentencing will go down on June 13.

Read More: Tory Lanez Found Guilty Of All 3 Charges In Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.