Megan Thee Stallion is suing a content creator she claims is a "mouthpiece" for Tory Lanez, the artist serving prison time for shooting her in 2020.
The "WAP" rapper, whose real name is Megan Pete, filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida on Wednesday against commentator Milagro Gramz, whose legal name is Milagro Cooper.
Pete, 29, alleges Cooper, 37, is intentionally causing her emotional distress on behalf of Lanez, 32, through cyberstalking, promoting a sexually explicit deepfake video of her, and questioning whether Lanez really shot her in the feet during an argument in July 2020.
Lanez was convicted of shooting Pete in December 2022 and sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023.
If Cooper is found liable for promoting an altered sexual image of Pete, Florida law entitles Pete to $10,000 or actual damages. Pete is also seeking an injunction to prevent Cooper from cyberstalking and requests damages for emotional distress and false light in an appropriate amount.
The complaint notes a September instance when Cooper allegedly stated Pete has "a severe drinking problem" and "needs to spend more time in a relationship with herself and her therapist and maybe AA."
"In yet another instance on July 30, 2024, Defendant Cooper went so far as to cast doubt on Ms. Pete's 'mental status,' asking her followers if Ms. Pete 'ha[s] a guardian or no?' and whether Ms. Pete has 'ever been deemed, like legally retarded?' the lawsuit reads.
In a June YouTube video, Cooper denied any wrongdoing and said Pete is a "professional victim."
Cooper has over 74,000 subscribers on YouTube and more than 16,300 followers on the streaming platform Twitch. Shortly after news of the lawsuit broke, Cooper posted a news release from Unite The People, a nonprofit law firm.
"Unite the People Inc. will not stand by and let an intractable justice system or a billion-dollar corporation ran by popular celebrities take advantage of the small guy in an attempt to silence someone from their First Amendment right of free speech," the release, shared on Instagram, reads.
"Unite the People Inc. has agreed to take on the defense of Milagro Cooper... as well as any other social media influencer, journalism platform, journalists, podcast, or reporter of any type that has received this lawsuit against them or any other form of bullying/ harassment to silence them from their right to free speech."
Newsweek has contacted Pete's lawyers and Unite the People for further comment.
Megan Thee Stallion Drops Documentary
On Thursday, the rapper dropped her documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words on Prime Video.
The behind-the-scenes film shows Pete and her family waiting to hear the outcome of Lanez's trial.
Upon learning Lanez was found guilty, Pete burst into tears.
"Thank you God," she said in the moment.
Pete, who lost her mother to brain cancer in 2019, admits in the doc that she still feels people are "mad at me because I said what happened to me."
"I do feel like I'm getting to a place where I really don't care. For the first time since my mom was alive I'm taking care of myself because I want to feel good," she said.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
English (US) ·