Tory Lanez‘s request to disqualify Judge David Herriford ahead of his sentencing for the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion has been denied by the appellate court on Thursday, June 8.
In a motion filed earlier this month, Lanez’s attorneys, Matthew Barhoma and Jose Baez, requested the disqualification of Judge David Herriford, alleging that the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge displayed bias towards the prosecution.
“Conversely, the judge gave the People a full and fair opportunity to present argument uninterrupted, even when the case cited by the People did not stand for the proposition that they advanced,” they wrote in their petition. “Together, these facts reveal such a high degree of favoritism or antagonism as to make fair judgment impossible. Given these facts, a reasonable person would fairly entertain doubts concerning the judge’s impartiality. As a result, disqualification is required.”
The appellate court did not agree with Lanez’s defense attorneys citing, “The petition for writ of mandate and request for stay are denied for failure to demonstrate entitlement to extraordinary relief.”
Tory Lanez has exhausted all legal options in getting his conviction overturned and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13.
The jury found Tory Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, guilty on one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm – personal use of a firearm – one felony count of discharging a firearm with gross negligence, and one felony count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle on December 22, 2023. The prosecution is requesting that the “Sorry 4 What” artist serve 13 years in prison.
“Words have power and the pen is oftentimes mightier than the sword. In this case, Daystar Peterson used both,” according to a memorandum obtained by Meghann Cuniff. “Not content to have hurt the victim by use of his sword (gun), he also used his pen. His online posts for nearly three years have re-traumatized the victim.”
