Megan Thee Stallion’s legal team is ramping up pressure in her ongoing federal defamation case against blogger Milagro Gramz — and now the court is setting its sights on Ceasar McDowell, the nonprofit executive who’s become a key figure in the case.

McDowell, the CEO of Unite the People Inc., has been ordered to appear at a show cause hearing on September 5 after a federal judge found grounds to question his behavior during a July 25 deposition. According to court filings, Megan’s attorneys accused him of giving evasive answers, refusing to answer basic questions, and derailing the deposition process. The judge has now ordered a re-deposition and is weighing possible sanctions.

McDowell isn’t just a witness. He’s the face of Unite the People — the nonprofit advocacy group that has publicly supported Tory Lanez and previously represented Milagro Gramz in this case. In February, McDowell told TMZ that Lanez “definitely did not ‘agree’ to testify” in the lawsuit and emphasized that the rapper “is not a party” to the proceedings. Despite that claim, a court later ordered Lanez to sit for a deposition.

That deposition, conducted in April via Zoom from the California prison where Lanez is serving a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan in 2020, was described by her legal team as chaotic and mocking. According to filings, Lanez interrupted questioning, made personal digs at Megan’s attorney — including comments about her hair — and pretended not to understand common words like “meet” or “discuss.”

Meanwhile, Unite the People withdrew from the case in May, citing financial hardship, lack of resources, and the inability to secure required local Florida counsel. This left Gramz temporarily without representation until June, when Los Angeles-based attorney Ronda R. Dixon and Florida-based attorney Jeremy McLymont formally entered as co-counsel.

Dixon’s involvement is especially notable given her history with Tory Lanez. In 2023, she attempted to represent Lanez post-conviction, publicly criticizing his defense team and claiming they were mishandling his case. She also argued that he was being subjected to “cruel and unusual punishment” because of his fame — but the court denied her motion to take over as counsel.

Now, she’s representing Milagro Gramz — who Megan alleges was a “paid surrogate” for Lanez, using her platform to spread defamatory content and deepfake porn designed to harm Megan’s reputation.

The defamation lawsuit, filed by Megan (real name Megan Pete) in October 2024, accuses Gramz (born Milagro Elizabeth Cooper) of harassment, cyberstalking, and distributing manipulated explicit content. Earlier this year, the court sanctioned Gramz for failure to comply with data sharing orders and fined her $5,000 in attorney’s fees.

Earlier this month, more than 1,400 pages of evidentiary exhibits were added to the federal docket, including social media screenshots, forensic reports, iMessage logs, and full deposition transcripts. Among the contents: proof that over 20,000 messages had been deleted across WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, and Discord, along with a flagged folder titled “re: Sonstar Peterson” — referencing Tory Lanez’s father.

As for McDowell’s deposition, Exhibit A revealed specific exchanges where he refused to confirm his nonprofit’s previous statements, questioned the credibility of the opposing attorney, and pushed back on basic facts. In one exchange, he responded to a straightforward question with: “It’s not my place to even agree or disagree with that.” In another, when asked about his public statements, he said, “I don’t believe I need to confirm anything. That’s what’s in the article, right?”

These moments ultimately led the judge to rule that McDowell must sit for a second deposition by September 22 and explain why he should not face penalties for his conduct.

This development comes amid renewed efforts by Lanez’s supporters to overturn his criminal conviction. In May, McDowell and Unite the People hosted a press conference in Los Angeles calling on California Governor Gavin Newsom to intervene, arguing Lanez was denied a fair trial. His father, Sonstar Peterson, also spoke, revealing that Lanez had recently been stabbed in prison and was recovering in a Bakersfield hospital.

Lanez’s legal team recently appeared before the California Court of Appeal on August 18, arguing for a reversal of his conviction. The court has yet to issue a ruling on the matter. Two separate habeas corpus petitions tied to claims of new evidence were already denied earlier in the month.

Megan’s federal civil trial against Gramz is set to begin November 17, 2025. A gag order remains in effect, and the upcoming show cause hearing could shape the court’s approach to both McDowell and Lanez moving forward.