For over five years now, the careers and lives of Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion have been inextricably linked, for better or worse. Each fanbase dogs on the other for matters that have nothing to do with his conviction for shooting her in 2020. Now, while the Canadian artist continues his appeal attempts, they both have to continue dealing with a less pressing but nonetheless complex civil matter.
We're talking about the Houston femcee's defamation suit against Milagro Gramz, accusing her of spreading falsehoods about the Lanez case while accepting payment from him and his team. Tory originally sought to avoid a third deposition in this case, citing concerns about its potential effect on his appeal process. The previous two depositions were already disastrous by all accounts, with instances of him allegedly disrespecting lawyers and not cooperating at all.
But it seems like Tory Lanez was not successful in these efforts. According to Billboard, Judge Lisette M. Reid shot down this protective order request in a Thursday (October 30) filing. The judge argued that it's "unclear" how a third deposition would even affect his appeal.
"The focus of Mr. Peterson’s deposition is his relationship with defendant Cooper, not with plaintiff," Judge Reid reportedly wrote. "Thus, the court does not see how testimony regarding Mr. Peterson’s communications and relationship with defendant would serve to prejudice his criminal appeal."
Also, the judge said Lanez's necessary and surefire deposition still ensures the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. He can invoke it "on a question-by-question basis, the propriety of which will be decided by the undersigned who will be supervising the deposition."
Megan Thee Stallion Lawsuit
However, Megan Thee Stallion and Milagro Gramz's case recently paused, so we will have to see whether or not this affects the case in any significant way. The pause is due to Gramz's lawyer also representing a suspect in the Foolio murder trial, which recently began.
Elsewhere, Tory Lanez's allies also caught heat. DJ Akademiks faced various depositions, and Adin Ross even took legal action over Megan and her team's attempts to subpoena him via a mariachi band outside his home.
