On Friday, jurors in a Los Angeles Superior Court found rapper Tory Lanez guilty on all charges related to the 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Lanez, who was convicted of assault with a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm and negligent discharge of a gun, is now awaiting his sentencing which is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2023. He currently faces up to 20 years and prison and the possibility of deportation, according to The Wrap. But he may not be the only one to suffer the consequences of their actions. Per an NBC News report, a handful of bloggers who were responsible for spreading misinformation about the trial and Megan Thee Stallion could see some legal ramifications come their way from the Tramauzine rapper’s lawyers, who are reportedly “exploring all legal options” against several popular platforms.
NBC News has more:
Pete publicly condemned the commentary from blogs and on social media in September, writing, “It might be funny to y’all on the internet and just another messy topic for you to talk about but this is my real life and I’m real life hurt and traumatized.”
Blogs and sites like NoJumper, Hollywood Unlocked and others have drawn criticism for casting doubt on Pete’s allegations.
The podcasts, blogs and social media accounts have covered a variety of topics, including theories that Pete wasn’t actually shot, drawing from a police report that didn’t include the results of her surgery. Many have also focused on Pete’s sexual history and portrayed her as an aggressor and a liar to undermine her testimony. The narratives have become viral social media content.
Some bloggers have spoken out in defense of the content they posted over the course of the last two years since news of the shooting became fodder for online content. Milagro Gramz, a hip-hop news commentator who posted an initial report from the LAPD that confirmed lacerations on Megan’s feet due to glass that was cited by other bloggers (though it was later disproved by surgeons who found bullet fragments in both the rappers feet), told the outlet during a phone interview: “On my end, everything is not going to be something that was intended to be a factual statement. It might have a comedic effect.”
Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee had also been criticized previously by some users online who felt he swayed more towards the support of Tory than Megan. In a statement to NBC News, Lee explained:
“Jason Lee gives his opinion, but Hollywood Unlocked is unbiased. At first I thought it was unfair for people to automatically say Tory was guilty without giving him an opportunity in court. I’ve always struggled with the way she’s been treated. While I don’t believe it’s fair to say Tory’s automatically guilty, I also don’t believe it’s fair to call a woman who says she was shot by a man a ‘liar.’”