Megan Thee Stallion Seeks Restraining Order Against Tory Lanez

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion has submitted a request for a restraining order targeting Tory Lanez, who is presently serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting her. Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, shot the 29-year-old Grammy winner, Megan, in the feet during an argument that occurred after a party in 2020. According to court documents filed in Los Angeles, Megan alleges that he persists in harassing her online from behind bars, subjecting her to “repeated trauma and re-victimisation”. Attorneys representing Lanez informed BBC Newsbeat that these allegations were “ridiculous” and that the “truth will be revealed” during court proceedings. Legal representatives for Megan have petitioned a judge to prohibit Lanez from engaging in harassment through intermediaries. They contend that blogger Milagro Elizabeth Cooper, identified online as Milagro Gramz, acts as a “mouthpiece” and “puppet” disseminating false information about the legal matter on behalf of the imprisoned Canadian rapper. The legal submission from Megan’s attorneys claims that Lanez, 32, discussed payments to Milagro with his father, Sonstar Peterson, while incarcerated; however, his lawyers assert that any payments made to the blogger by Sonstar were unrelated to Lanez or his legal situation. Milagro’s representatives chose not to comment on the filing when contacted by Newsbeat, stating instead that a forthcoming response in a distinct lawsuit would “speak for itself”. During a trial conducted last year, Lanez received a guilty verdict on three counts: negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm. Testimony in court revealed that he and Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, had an altercation after departing a party hosted by Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills on 12 July 2020. When Megan requested to exit the vehicle they occupied, Lanez discharged a weapon at her feet, simultaneously instructing her to “dance”. Lanez has consistently asserted his innocence, stating shortly after his imprisonment in August 2023 that his conviction was erroneous. He declared in an Instagram post: “I refuse to apologise for something I did not do.” The judge presiding over the sentencing also reprimanded Lanez for attempting to “intimidate Ms Pete and silence her truths from being heard”. The legal proceedings caused a schism within the hip-hop community, with various artists aligning themselves. Following Lanez’s conviction by a jury, 50 Cent issued an apology for earlier posts implying Megan had fabricated her shooting account. However, he was not the sole individual involved; Megan testified in court that she had not experienced “a single day of peace” since the incident, owing to online conjecture. She initially informed law enforcement that she had injured her feet by stepping on glass, subsequently explaining that she had lied to avoid “get in more trouble”. In their response to the request for a restraining order, Lanez’s legal team once more questioned Megan’s version of events. They stated: “It is important to consider the pattern of behaviour we are seeing.” They further posed the question: “When someone has openly admitted to lying on major public platforms… at what point do we, as a society, stop believing the narrative they are pushing?” During October, Megan launched a documentary detailing her challenges with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation following the shooting and subsequent trial. In their application for a restraining order, Megan’s attorneys contend that Lanez attempted to impede the documentary’s release by filing an appeal—a claim his lawyers characterized as “ludicrous.” They assert: “[He] was simply complying with legal deadlines, as required by the courts.” Representatives for Megan indicate that her “only recourse she now has is to seek a civil harassment restraining order against [Lanez] to end his ongoing campaign of harassment.” A judicial hearing concerning the order is scheduled for 9 January.