Tory Lanez Files Ethics Complaint Against Shawn Holley

Roc Nation might not be “crumbling” after all…

After Tory Lanez has submitted an ethics complaint against his former attorney, Shawn Holley, claiming that she did not represent him fairly during his 2022-2023 trial related to the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, the attorney is speaking out.

According to a new petition obtained by TMZ,  Lanez alleged that Holley may have been swayed by her connections to Roc Nation, the Grammy Award-winning rapper’s label, which he believes contributed to his loss in the high-profile case, given her “personal ties.”

In the petition, Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, accused his former attorney, Holley, of abandoning him just days before his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion during a roadside dispute in 2020. Lanez claimed that Holley’s connections to Roc Nation hindered her ability to represent him effectively. 

Within the complaint, which was filed to the California State Bar, the 32-year-old rapper, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for the shooting, pointed to the Hulu series Reasonable Doubt, which Holley produces and is loosely inspired by her life.

He noted that the show, which shares the name of Jay Z’s debut album, featured Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s “Savage (Remix)” in its second season, along with a song performed by Holley’s daughter, Nayanna, who previously sang backup for Beyoncé.

That wasn’t the only claim nestled within the rapper’s ethics complaint, however.

Lanez further alleged that Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, played a role in influencing Megan’s statements to the police following the 2020 shooting, TMZ noted. He criticized Holley’s conduct during the case, claiming she neglected his defense strategy and instructed a DNA expert not to conduct tests on the gun involved in the shooting.

If you remember, in 2022, criminologists from the Los Angeles Police Department disclosed that four bullet casings recovered from the shooting scene were linked to the 9mm semiautomatic handgun found in the vehicle where Lanez had been seated. Another expert testified that DNA testing on the gun itself yielded inconclusive results, but noted that the Toronto-bred rapper’s DNA was not present on the gun’s magazine. Still, prosecutors based their verdict on other evidence used to put the hip-hop star behind bars. According to court reporter Meghann Cuniff, one individual contributed 90% of the DNA sample, which allowed a Los Angeles police criminologist to determine that the contributor was male. This finding was sufficient to compare it with Lanez’s DNA sample, ultimately excluding him as the source of that specific DNA.

Lanez believes that Holley was acting under Roc Nation’s influence when it was suggested he accept a plea deal, which he ultimately declined. Now, the rapper is seeking disciplinary action against Holley for what he describes as serious ethical breaches and is demanding a refund of the hundreds of thousands of dollars he paid her. Holley withdrew from Lanez’s defense on Dec. 18, 2023, just five days before he was found guilty after he allegedly paid her $200,000 and $300,000 for her services, his complaint noted.

Attorney Shawn Holley Speaks Out

This isn’t the first time that Holley has had to defend herself against claims of an alliance with Roc Nation. According to a November 2023 letter obtained by TMZ written by the lawyer to the State Bar, Holley wrote that she had “no relationship whatsoever with Roc Nation,” and that she had “never represented Roc Nation, nor has Roc Nation ever been a client” of her firm.

In a statement to TMZ, she reinforced her stance by calling Lanez’s complaint “meritless.”

“Mr. Peterson brought these meritless claims to the State Bar over a year ago and they were summarily rejected and the matter was promptly closed. His actions to publicize this failed effort are likely tied to the appeal of his criminal conviction, for which I wish him well.”