California prison officials are pushing back against Tory Lanez’s $100 million lawsuit, arguing the rapper knowingly accepted the risks tied to his housing assignment before he was stabbed last year.
In a court filing dated Oct. 7, T. Valdez — acting warden at California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi — said Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, agreed to his placement. The California attorney general’s office filed the response on Valdez’s behalf, stating Lanez “consented to his prison housing classification and assignment and assumed any risk alleged to be associated with that housing.”
Lanez’s lawsuit describes the May 12, 2025 attack as an “unprovoked life‑threatening” stabbing by inmate Santino Casio. It argues officials should have known Casio posed a danger. Valdez confirmed the stabbing but denied responsibility, noting Casio used an inmate‑made weapon during the altercation.
Lanez’s team initially said he suffered 14 stab wounds; later filings claimed 16. Casio told TMZ he acted in self‑defense after hearing rumors of a bounty on his head, a claim Lanez’s lawyers called “an absurd fabrication.”
Valdez’s filing also argues Casio’s actions — not staff decisions — were the direct cause of Lanez’s injuries.