Tory Lanez Allegedly Exploited By Lawyers, Denied New Counsel
Tory Lanez has been denied new counsel after potential defense lawyer Ronda Renee Dixon accused his current reps of taking advantage of the singer/rapper. According to legal journalist Meghann Cuniff, Lanez wants Dixon to step in and work under Jose Baez, replacing Matthew Barhoma.
Live from the courtroom on Wednesday (July 12), Cuniff tweeted out the judge’s decision and also shared a prior conversation between herself and Dixon.
“These guys are just taking advantage of [Lanez],” Cuniff claims Dixon stated. “They’ve had him sign powers of attorneys. They’re acting on his behalf. … They’re not really asking him what he wants.”
Cuniff also recalled Dixon’s meeting with the 30-year-old entertainer. “His eyes were black. He was totally despondent,” Dixon said. “He told me he wanted to go to state prison. I said, ‘You want to go to state prison? Why?'” to which Lanez responded “At least I’ll be able to go out in the yard and talk to people.'”
“That upset me. I don’t think he’s guilty,” she admitted.
In Dixon’s motion to join Lanez’s legal team, she argued that the Sorry 4 What rapper has been treated poorly while incarcerated because of his celebrity status.
“Because Mr. Peterson has viable, meritorious post-conviction litigation, this court should award bail,” Dixon wrote in her motion. “The unconstitutional nature of his confinement provides ample justification. Peterson’s conviction is not punishable by death. Because he will apply for probation, file an appeal, and pursue additional post-conviction remedies, this court should admit him bail within the court’s discretion.”
“Merely because he is well known, the Sheriff has decided that Mr. Peterson is of such great threat that he must be confined in the same manner as those convicted of serial rape charges and murder,” she added.
As of publication, it has not been made public knowledge as to why Dixon’s motion was denied by the presiding judge, even though in June, Lanez and his legal team signed a substitution of counsel. He now awaits sentencing for the third time on Aug. 7. The date was pushed back again last month when the judge granted a continuance for Lanez’s attorneys.
Sentencing was originally scheduled for Jan. 2, a month after he was found guilty, and then pushed to Feb. 28 because he changed counsel. During that court date, Lanez filed a motion for a new trial, to which he was denied.
The One Umbrella Records founder is now facing a maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months after being found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. He also faces possible deportation to Canada.
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