Tory Lanez’s lawyer has fired back at court reporter Meghan Cuniff after she questioned his commitment to the embattled rapper’s appeal process by vacationing in Europe.
The Canadian rapper received a 10-year sentence for the July 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion earlier this month, and is currently sitting tight inside Los Angeles County Jail with few privileges.
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While Lanez’s legal counsel has said that they plan to appeal the sentence, Cuniff — who closely covered the case — noted on X last week that the rapper’s lawyer Jose Baez hadn’t yet filed an appeal motion and was currently spending some time in Italy.
“2+ weeks since Tory Lanez’s lawyer Jose Baez said he’d file a motion to bail Lanez out of jail as he appeals his convictions and 10-year prison sentence,” she wrote on Friday (August 25). “No motion has been filed, and I’m not sure how much of a priority it is for Baez: He’s posting Instagram stories from Italy.”
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Baez caught wind of Cuniff’s post and responded on his Instagram Stories on Sunday (August 27), dismissing the esteemed journalist as a “blogger” and claiming she has displayed “bias” against Tory Lanez throughout her coverage of the trial.
The defense attorney also offered an update on Tory’s appeal proceedings, explaining that he is unable to file a motion to appeal until certain legal formalities are completed but he is “way ahead of schedule” in the fight for his freedom. He added that Lanez is currently “evaluating ALL of his options.”
“It has been brought to my attention that a blogger has claimed that Tory Lanez is not a priority because I’m allegedly in Italy,” Baez began. “For the record, I travel to Italy 2 to 4 times a year. I have both business interests as well as clients who have business in Italy. It is a beautiful country and a privilege to visit.
“This blogger has had a clear bias against Tory and has attacked everyone associated with him as well as made numerous inaccurate assumptions. In fairness to her, she has no legal training and has never worked in the court system, so her opinions have little to no merit whatsoever.
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He continued: “Finally to all of Tory’s fans. I can report that because of his motion for a new trial covered many of the issues that will be appealed. We are way ahead of schedule. The court reporter has not completed all of the transcripts and until that happens he must wait to file the appeal.
“As for other motions Tory is evaluating ALL of his options. Thank you all, he appreciates your support.”
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Cuniff responded to Baez’s scathing rebuttal, writing on X: “Ignoring the unprofessional comments, the takeaway from Jose Baez’s Instagram stories today is he’s no longer sure if he’ll file a motion for bail pending Lanez’s appeal: ‘As for other motions, Tory is evaluating ALL of his options.'”
She also posted a screenshot on Instagram of an email exchange with Baez, who commended Cuniff and said he would “always be respectful towards” her.
Tory Lanez is currently being held away from the general population in the “administrative segregation unit” in Los Angeles, which is for those who cannot be safely housed with other inmates. He is reportedly only allowed out of his cell for two hours each day.
Additionally, the 31-year-old is granted just three hours of fresh air each week during his mandated recreation time and is being checked on by jail staff every 30 minutes, per standard procedure in the administrative segregation unit.
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As a small consolation, however, Lanez is “able to load up on goodies at the commissary.”
This vastly limited existence is expected to be Tory’s reality for at least the next few weeks until he’s transferred to an intake center, at which point he’ll learn which California prison he’ll call home for the duration of his sentence.
Despite being sentenced to a full decade behind bars, Meghann Cuniff previously reported that Tory Lanez will have almost a year shaved off his sentence due to time served.
The convicted rapper took to Instagram shortly after his sentencing hearing to address his fans, and promised to see them all soon despite his lengthy sentence. He also continued to deny any wrongdoing in the case and insisted on his innocence.
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“I have never let a hard time intimidate me,” he wrote. “I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will. This week in court I took responsibility for all verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved. That’s it.”
