The prison warden named in Tory Lanez’s $100 million lawsuit over the stabbing he suffered while incarcerated has responded to the allegations, denying any wrongdoing in the incident.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ on Monday (Oct. 19), California Correctional Institution Warden Thomas Valdez has officially filed his response to Tory’s lawsuit, which was submitted in April. The report states that Valdez denies causing Tory’s injuries through any action or failure to act. However, he acknowledges that Tory was stabbed with a makeshift weapon while being housed at the same facility as his alleged attacker, Santino Casio.
Tory filed the complaint on April 14 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He accused the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), several correctional officers and the prison warden of failing to protect him, negligent supervision, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violating his privacy rights and conversion. The lawsuit relates to a May 2025 incident in which Casio allegedly stabbed him 16 times. Casio is currently serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
In his complaint, Tory claims prison officials failed to consider the risks associated with housing him near Casio, pointing to the inmate’s history of violence. That history includes a 2008 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon and a 2018 charge for manufacturing a weapon while incarcerated. The rapper also highlighted his high-profile status, questioning why correctional officers were absent during the attack and why the response was delayed, allowing the stabbing to continue.
The Toronto native sustained stab wounds to his back, torso, the back of his head and face, along with two collapsed lungs. He was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. After recovering, he was transferred to California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo County, Calif.
Valdez maintains that he cannot be held legally responsible for the incident, arguing that Tory “consented to his prison housing classification and assignment and assumed any risk alleged” associated with his placement. The warden is also invoking qualified immunity.
Tory is seeking a jury trial and $100 million in damages to cover his medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, emotional trauma, permanent facial scarring, lasting lung damage and lost future earning potential.
