Tory Lanez Fined For Stonewalling Deposition In Megan Thee Stallion’s Lawsuit

Tory Lanez is facing new legal consequences after a federal judge ruled that he obstructed Megan Thee Stallion’s efforts to depose him in her defamation and cyberstalking lawsuit against YouTube personality Milagro Gramz. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was held in contempt of court after refusing to answer basic, foundational questions during his third jailhouse deposition. As a result, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid ordered him to pay twenty thousand dollars to Megan’s legal team “as a fine for his obstruction of Plaintiff’s multiple attempts to depose him.” Her ruling, filed Sunday, also sanctioned Peterson’s attorney, Crystal Morgan.

The contempt ruling came just as jury selection began Monday in Megan’s lawsuit against Gramz, whose legal name is Milagro Cooper. According to the judge, Peterson’s behavior at Friday’s deposition was openly defiant from the start. She wrote that he began the session by asking what would happen if he refused to answer questions, and after being warned he could be fined, he allegedly said, “Whatever the fines are, I’ll pay them. I’m a millionaire. I don’t care.” Judge Reid added that at one point Peterson “stormed out of the room” and accused Megan’s lawyer of lying, telling him to “calm down.”

Peterson repeatedly refused to answer the core questions Megan’s legal team needed for trial. He declined to explain “how he came to learn of or met” Gramz and would not say whether he ever communicated with her through direct messages, texts or Instagram. Because of this obstruction, Judge Reid recommended that jurors be explicitly told that he was properly questioned and refused to respond before abruptly ending the deposition.

This is not the first time Peterson has been penalized for uncooperative behavior. He was previously ordered to pay Megan’s legal fees for acting combative and pretending not to know basic facts during an April deposition. That session was the first time he had been questioned under oath since being accused of shooting Megan with a semi-automatic firearm in Los Angeles. Peterson is currently serving a ten-year sentence for that assault. Megan sought the latest deposition as part of her case, claiming that Cooper spread “vicious and hateful rumors” while acting as Peterson’s “paid surrogate.”