Celebs

Tory Lanez Released From House Arrest For Assault Trial Preparations

Tory Lanez is a free man–from house arrest. According toRolling Stonesenior reporter Nancy Dillon, a judge granted the artist release as preparations for his assault trial involving Megan Thee Stallion begin.

“I’m doing this mainly for the trial preparation aspect,” Judge David Herriford said, per Dillon.

Jury selection has begun in what will likely be one of the year’s biggest celebrity trials. Opening statements will begin on December 12 in Los Angeles. This is the city where prosecutors say Lanez shot at Megan’s “feet several times and wounding her” in July 2020. At the time, she, real name Megan Pete, was traveling in a vehicle with Tory, former friend Kelsey and a driver after leaving a party at Kylie Jenner’s home.

Months later, in October, prosecutors charged Tory with one count of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered handgun in a vehicle. If convicted, he faces up to 22 years in prison.

In April, Tory was arrested for violating a no-contact order in the shooting case by tweeting about Megan. The judge set his bail at $350,000. By October, he was back under arrest–this time in his home.

Two conditions of Tory’s release in April were to stay 100 yards from Megan and out of legal trouble. But, he allegedly attacked August Alsina in early September during a confrontation, sparking an independent criminal investigation and violating his bail terms.

Megan, who has faced accusations of fabricating her injuries, recently blasted Drake for seemingly using her experience as a lyric. At the time, her lawyer Alex Spiro came to her defense, saying Drake should explain himself.

“She’s confident in that because the evidence is confident in that because these things are irrefutable and can’t be cross-examined and truth usually comes out in courtrooms and I’m confident that it will here, Spiro toldTMZ.

Cassandra Santiago

Cassandra Santiago is a multimedia journalist, editor, and editorial strategist with over a decade of experience shaping conversations across arts, entertainment, culture, and global news. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she has built a cross-platform career spanning newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital media. She joined The Shade Room five years ago and currently serves as a Senior Editor, where she leads editorial direction, oversees exclusive coverage, and trains and edits a team of writers. Cassandra has played a key role in developing high-impact content and editorial strategies for an audience of more than 30 million, contributing to platform growth, engagement, and monetization across multiple channels. In addition to her leadership role, she remains a daily contributor, with her articles generating more than 41 million views since 2023. Beyond The Shade Room, Cassandra offers freelance social media strategy services, speaks on the influence and impact of Black media at public panels, and owns Did It For You, an event design company in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. She is Poynter Institute–certified and was named to the DMV’s 35 Under 35 list in 2024.

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