Tory Lanez Claimed Megan Thee Stallion Wasn't A "Vulnerable Victim" In Appeal

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares 2.6K Views
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Tory Lanez Megan Thee Stallion Wasnt Victim Appeal Hip Hop News
Megan Thee Stallion performs during Beale Street Music Festival on Saturday, April 30, 2022, at the Fairgrounds in Liberty Park. © Christine Tannous / The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tory Lanez and his legal team unsuccessfully tried to overturn his conviction and prison sentence in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case.

Megan Thee Stallion is currently pursuing a defamation lawsuit against blogger Milagro Gramz for allegedly spreading falsehoods about the Tory Lanez shooting case. But outside of civil court, this five-year-old story continues to develop in its criminal parameters.

Tory recently and unsuccessfully sought appeal in this case, with him and his legal team hoping to overturn his conviction and ten-year prison sentence for shooting the Houston femcee in 2020. According to journalist Meghann Cuniff on Twitter, his arguments in the appeal filing were curious.

The Canadian artist's lawyers reportedly did not challenge Judge Herriford's assessment that his post-shooting conduct significantly impacted his sentence's severity. Instead, they challenged the notion that Megan was a "vulnerable victim" in this case. According to Complex, California law stipulates that a victim's "particular vulnerability" can serve as an aggravating factor when handing down a criminal charge.

The reason why Tory Lanez argued against Megan Thee Stallion's vulnerable victim status is because of Kelsey Harris' statement to prosecutors. She claimed that she saw Lanez reach towards the car's central console after threatening to shoot Meg all those years ago. The appeal filing reportedly argued that "there were indeed signs that an armed individual may be in the vehicle... thus [Megan] had the ability to run or duck once she saw a gun being pointed at her."

How Long Is Tory Lanez In Jail For?

Considering Tory's original arrest in 2022, his sentence should complete and lead to his freedom sometime in 2032 or earlier, since the sentence reportedly accounts for time served. Still, we haven't received any official confirmation of his projected release date.

Elsewhere, Tory Lanez's third Megan Thee Stallion deposition in the Milagro Gramz case will come soon. He attempted to evade it by expressing fear over its effect on his criminal appeal, but the court denied this. This legal matter also notably called in Adin Ross and DJ Akademiks for depositions.

We will see whether or not there are more crossovers between these civil and criminal narrative concerning Tory and Meg. This story refuses to die out, but maybe this will be the last legal hurdle before things significantly cool down.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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