California files motion to dismiss Tory Lanez's $100 million prison stabbing lawsuit

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), represented by Attorney General Rob Bonta, has filed a motion in federal court seeking to dismiss the $100 million civil rights lawsuit brought by rapper Tory Lanez (legal name Daystar Peterson). The suit stems from a May 2025 incident at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi where Lanez was stabbed 16 times, suffering collapsed lungs, facial scarring and other injuries.

California argues that the Eleventh Amendment grants the state immunity from being sued in federal court, asserting that the federal civil‑rights statute cited by Lanez does not apply to a state agency. The motion, filed on July 29, requests dismissal with prejudice and sets a hearing for August 26. Lanez’s complaint alleges that prison officials knew the alleged attacker’s violent history, failed to protect him, delayed medical treatment, and unlawfully seized his notebooks containing unpublished lyrics. He is seeking $100 million in damages, including $1 million per stab wound and $10 million for facial scarring.