In a significant development for the ongoing legal battles surrounding prominent hip-hop figures, Tory Lanez has been formally ordered to cover Megan Thee Stallion’s legal expenditures. This ruling stems from his combative and evasive conduct during a deposition last April, directly linked to the Grammy-winning artist’s defamation and cyberstalking lawsuit against YouTube blogger Milagro Gramz.

A federal judge delivered these sanctions on Friday, stipulating that Lanez, whose birth name is Daystar Peterson, must pay Megan Thee Stallion’s “reasonable attorney’s fees incurred in taking [his] deposition.” The court further mandated that any subsequent attempt to depose Peterson would occur under the direct supervision of a magistrate judge, ensuring adherence to civil litigation norms.

During the April 9 deposition, conducted remotely from prison, Peterson repeatedly interrupted the attorney representing Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete. His disruptive behavior included accusing the lawyer of intending to “leak the video to fake some sort of narrative” and feigning ignorance of basic terms, provocatively asking for definitions of words like “discuss” and “approve.”

Peterson’s evasiveness peaked when questioned about the identity of Megan Thee Stallion and Megan Pete. He retorted, “There’s a lot of Ms. Petes in this world. Which Ms. Pete are you talking about?” and even instructed his own lawyer to “Google how many Megan Petes there are in the world,” making a mockery of the legal proceedings.

Following this highly contentious examination, Megan Pete’s legal team promptly moved to have Lanez held in contempt of court. In their filing, they highlighted his demeanor as “so disruptive, inflammatory, and inconsistent with the basic norms of civil litigation” that it “made a mockery of the proceedings,” underscoring the necessity for judicial intervention.

While the judge granted the request for legal fees incurred during the April deposition, the new ruling did not extend as far as Pete’s lawyers had sought. Her representatives had initially pushed for Peterson to bear the costs of the prospective follow-up examination as well, though this specific request was denied in the final order.

This April deposition marked the first instance Peterson was compelled to provide sworn testimony since his conviction for shooting Pete in both feet five years prior. That alcohol-fueled incident occurred on a Los Angeles residential street after a party at Kylie Jenner’s house, a case for which Peterson is currently serving time in state prison.

Megan Pete initiated the deposition as part of her broader defamation lawsuit against Milagro Cooper, legally known as Milagro Gramz. Pete asserts that Cooper disseminated “vicious and hateful rumors” about her, allegedly acting as a “paid surrogate” for Peterson, thereby contributing to the prolonged harassment Megan has endured.

Cooper, denying any conspiracy with Peterson, had previously sought to dismiss the lawsuit by claiming journalistic protections. However, the federal judge presiding over the case in Florida ruled against Cooper, asserting that Pete had presented a “compelling case” demonstrating Cooper acted with a “reckless disregard for the truth,” allowing the defamation lawsuit to proceed.