{"id":3133,"date":"2024-10-29T17:21:54","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T17:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/tory-lanez-not-ruled-innocent-in-megan-thee-stallion-case-debunked\/"},"modified":"2024-10-29T17:21:54","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T17:21:54","slug":"tory-lanez-not-ruled-innocent-in-megan-thee-stallion-case-debunked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/tory-lanez-not-ruled-innocent-in-megan-thee-stallion-case-debunked\/","title":{"rendered":"Tory Lanez Not Ruled ‘Innocent’ In Megan Thee Stallion Case: Debunked"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

\n\tOn Friday evening, almost two years after Tory Lanez<\/a> was convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion<\/a>, posts on X (formerly Twitter) blared stunning \u201cnews\u201d about the case: that a California appeals court had \u201cfound Tory Lanez to be innocent\u201d and would \u201creinvestigate\u201d the case to see if he was \u201cunfairly prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe claims, which appear to have first been posted by an account called Akademiks TV run by the popular blogger and podcaster DJ Akademiks, came with a screenshot of an official-looking document signed by three judges. Numerous commenters celebrated that the singer had seemingly been vindicated.<\/p>\n

\n\tJust one problem: That\u2019s not at all what happened.<\/p>\n

\n\tInstead, the appeals court merely issued a procedural order acknowledging that it had received a new petition from Lanez\u2019s legal team and would consider it alongside his other appeals. That\u2019s all that occurred \u2013 something that was obvious to anyone who actually read the document. Lanez challenges to the conviction remains pending, and they continue to face long odds for success.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith a false story circulating, the internet quickly swung into gear. Meghann Cuniff<\/strong>, a popular legal journalist who has closely covered the Lanez case, blasted the posts for \u201cspreading lies.\u201d<\/a> The X account Bad Legal Takes, which highlights examples of misinformed legal reasoning, featured an image<\/a> of the Akademiks post. X\u2019s own platform later added \u201ccommunity notes\u201d to some versions, stating that such claims were false.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut as with many instances of misinformation on the modern internet, some damage was likely already done. Though Akademiks TV eventually deleted its post, it was likely seen by thousands. A later post from an account called Daily Loud, featuring the same claim and the same screenshot, is still live on the site<\/a> as of Tuesday and has currently racked up 5.1 million views.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an interview with Billboard <\/em>on Monday, Megan Thee Stallion\u2019s attorney Alex Spiro<\/strong> sharply criticized the social media accounts that shared the story, saying they \u201cmake a living out of complete nonsense\u201d and that \u201cthey\u2019re going to face consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis appeal when it is eventually heard will be denied, so all [Lanez] can do is gaslight and spin off these nonsense bloggers from inside custody, where he will remain,\u201d Spiro said. \u201cWe are taking legal action. Stay tuned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSpiro declined to comment on who exactly would face legal action or what such action would look like. Akademiks TV did not immediately return a direct message on X seeking comment.<\/p>\n

\n\tLanez (Daystar Peterson<\/strong>) was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts over the violent 2020 incident, in which he shot at the feet of Megan (real name Megan Pete<\/strong>) during an argument following a pool party at Kylie Jenner<\/strong>\u2019s house in the Hollywood Hills. According to prosecutors, when Megan got out of the vehicle and began walking away, Lanez shouted \u201cDance, bitch!\u201d and fired a gun at her feet. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n

\n\tLanez has appealed his convictions to California\u2019s Court of Appeal, arguing that the judge allowed improper testimony and evidence, resulting in a \u201ca miscarriage of justice.\u201d He\u2019s also filed a so-called petition for writ of habeas corpus, a more drastic legal method for challenging a criminal conviction.<\/p>\n

\n\tLast week\u2019s false news stories came after Lanez filed yet another habeas corpus petition on Oct. 23. According to a copy of the filing obtained by Billboard<\/em>, Lanez\u2019s lawyers say the gun used in the shooting and bullet fragments that doctors removed from Megan\u2019s foot have not been made available to him, meaning he \u201cdoes not have the ability to conduct a full investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Monday, Spiro directly rebutted the claims made in the new petition, saying he had confirmed with prosecutors that Lanez\u2019s team was still able to access the evidence. \u201cThe statement that the gun and magazine are not available for testing is a complete and demonstrable lie,\u201d Spiro said. \u201cThey are sitting there and available any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Lanez\u2019s lawyers filed the new petition, the appeals court issued a brief order on Friday alerting the parties that it had \u201cread and considered the petition\u201d and that the new habeas challenge would be \u201cconsidered together\u201d along with the earlier appeals. Such a scheduling order was unremarkable, and was in no way a substantive ruling on the merits of Lanez\u2019s arguments.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was a screenshot of this order that was included in the false stories that circulated on social media. This was despite the fact that the order made no mention of \u201cinnocence,\u201d and even expressly ordered prosecutors to file their own response brief in the weeks ahead \u2013 another clear sign that it was a procedural order, not a decision on the case.<\/p>\n

\n\tPart of the confusion might have stemmed from the way Lanez\u2019s attorneys announced the order. In an Instagram post<\/a> on Friday, his lawyers at the group Unite The People posted a screenshot of the order under a caption that said the appeals court had just \u201cACCEPTED TORY LANEZ ACTUAL INNOCENCE CLAIM!!!\u201d That statement was seemingly a reference to the legal term \u201cactual innocence,\u201d a form of criminal defense that they advanced in their petition.<\/p>\n

\n\tA short time after Unite The People\u2019s post, the tweet from Akademiks TV claiming Lanez had been ruled \u201cinnocent\u201d appeared on X, featuring the same image with a watermark reading \u201cUnited The People Inc.\u201d Lanez\u2019s lawyers, Crystal Morgan<\/strong> and Michael Hayden<\/strong>, did not return a request for comment on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n