In response to rumors suggesting that rapper Tory Lanez had been declared innocent in his highly publicized assault case involving Megan Thee Stallion, legal expert Meghann Cuniff has set the record straight.
The rumors began circulating widely on social media after Unite the People, a nonprofit organization, inaccurately reported that Lanez’s appeal had resulted in an innocence declaration. However, this information has been deemed false.
The online speculation started when Unite the People shared a document on Instagram, claiming the appellate court had accepted Lanez’s “actual innocence claim” and ordered the California Attorney General to respond.
However, Cuniff, a legal reporter known for her detailed coverage of the case, quickly dispelled the misinformation. She clarified that the appellate court had merely consolidated Lanez’s habeas petition with his appeal, a procedural move that does not imply innocence or any ruling on the appeal itself.
Cuniff explained that the court’s decision to merge the petitions is a standard legal procedure intended to streamline Lanez’s ongoing appeal efforts. She emphasized that no ruling has been made on the case and criticized Unite the People for spreading misleading information, even though the actual court document shows the process is still in progress.
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Lanez was found guilty in December 2022 on multiple counts, including assault with a semiautomatic firearm and grossly negligent firearm discharge. Jurors concluded that he had fired multiple shots at Megan Thee Stallion, injuring her feet during an altercation following a party in July 2020. The rapper received a 10-year prison sentence and has since filed multiple petitions to overturn his conviction.
The latest of these petitions claims that testimony from Lanez’s driver, Jauquan Smith, stating he saw Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris with a gun, constitutes new evidence. However, this statement was dismissed by the Deputy Attorney General, who argued it did not qualify as new evidence and pointed out that Lanez’s own legal team had opted not to call Smith as a witness during the original trial.
