Megan Thee Stallion sues Milagro Cooper for defamation and 'smear campaign' in Tory Lanez shooting reporting
 |
| Megan Thee Stallion at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards - Photo by Image Press Agency |
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, alleges in a lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida, that content creator, Milagro Cooper participated in a targeted and coordinated social media campaign to harass, intimidate and defame Pete, in concert with rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of shooting and injuring Pete in a July 2020 incident.
"Defendant is the longtime mouthpiece of Daystar Peterson (aka 'Tory Lanez'), a convicted felon who shot Ms. Pete in 2020 and has been working with him ever since to falsely brand Ms. Pete an incompetent liar and alcoholic," the complaint alleges. " As part of their vendetta, Defendant spreads vicious and hateful rumors about Ms. Pete to Defendant's over 100,000 social media followers, causing Ms. Pete extreme emotional distress.
Defendant's malicious intent is clear: discredit and shame Ms. Pete because of her testimony at Mr. Peterson's trial, which ultimately landed him in prison where he is currently serving a ten year sentence for shooting Ms. Pete."
Peterson is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit but was asked to give a deposition ahead of the trial.
The complaint accuses Cooper of defamation, promoting an altered sexual depiction of Pete, cyberstalking and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Cooper denied wrongdoing in legal documents responding to the lawsuit.
In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Cooper's attorneys argued that "multiple allegations of 'defamation' are an overreach," and alleged that some statements made by Cooper are "substantially true," while others are "clearly opinion and/or rhetorical hyperbole and therefore not actionable as a matter of law."
The complaint argues that Cooper conspired with Peterson to "punish" Pete for testifying in Peterson's trial where the hip-hop star named him as her shooter.
Peterson, who chose not to take the witness stand during the 2022 trial, pleaded not guilty and his defense attorneys argued during the trial that he was not the shooter.
Peterson was sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole on Aug. 8, 2023 after he was convicted in December 2022 of felony assault for shooting and injuring Pete in both of her feet in an incident that occurred in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020.
His legal team appealed his conviction but it was upheld on Nov. 12 by a federal court in Los Angeles.
Court records show that Peterson and his attorney were held in contempt of court by a magistrate judge earlier this week for failing to answer questions during a deposition related to Pete's lawsuit against Cooper. Peterson was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
"As a result of Mr. Peterson's deliberate evasion during three attempted depositions, and his attorney's coordinated scheme with him to object, obstruct, coach, and deny the opportunity for questioning at his third deposition, both Mr. Peterson and his attorney are hereby held in contempt of court," court documents said.
In her lawsuit against Cooper, Pete is seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory damages, punitive damages, statutory damages, attorney's fees, costs, interest, and all other damages as are just and proper as well as declaratory judgment to remedy Defendant's unlawful behavior.
Peterson is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit but was asked to give a deposition ahead of the trial.
The complaint accuses Cooper of defamation, promoting an altered sexual depiction of Pete, cyberstalking and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Cooper denied wrongdoing in legal documents responding to the lawsuit.
In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Cooper's attorneys argued that "multiple allegations of 'defamation' are an overreach," and alleged that some statements made by Cooper are "substantially true," while others are "clearly opinion and/or rhetorical hyperbole and therefore not actionable as a matter of law."
The complaint argues that Cooper conspired with Peterson to "punish" Pete for testifying in Peterson's trial where the hip-hop star named him as her shooter.
Peterson, who chose not to take the witness stand during the 2022 trial, pleaded not guilty and his defense attorneys argued during the trial that he was not the shooter.
Peterson was sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole on Aug. 8, 2023 after he was convicted in December 2022 of felony assault for shooting and injuring Pete in both of her feet in an incident that occurred in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020.
His legal team appealed his conviction but it was upheld on Nov. 12 by a federal court in Los Angeles.
Court records show that Peterson and his attorney were held in contempt of court by a magistrate judge earlier this week for failing to answer questions during a deposition related to Pete's lawsuit against Cooper. Peterson was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
"As a result of Mr. Peterson's deliberate evasion during three attempted depositions, and his attorney's coordinated scheme with him to object, obstruct, coach, and deny the opportunity for questioning at his third deposition, both Mr. Peterson and his attorney are hereby held in contempt of court," court documents said.
In her lawsuit against Cooper, Pete is seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory damages, punitive damages, statutory damages, attorney's fees, costs, interest, and all other damages as are just and proper as well as declaratory judgment to remedy Defendant's unlawful behavior.
Case Information
Case No: 1:24-cv-24228-CMA
Court Info: U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida
Attorneys for Plaintiff: Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan - Los Angeles, Calif.Attorneys for Defendant: Jeremy McLymont and Los Angeles-based attorney Ronda Dixon
Grounds for Lawsuit
The grounds of the lawsuit are:
- Defamation and false light invasion of privacy: Cooper allegedly spread false statements about Megan Thee Stallion, including claims that she lied about being shot, had a severe drinking problem, and committed perjury during the Tory Lanez criminal trial.
- Promotion of an altered sexual depiction: The suit accuses Cooper of "willfully and maliciously promoted" an unauthorized, sexually explicit deepfake video of Megan Thee Stallion by directing her thousands of social media followers to a post that shared it.
- Intentional infliction of emotional distress: Megan Thee Stallion testified that Cooper's actions caused her intense emotional distress, leading to mental health struggles and a period where she "didn't care if [she] lived or died".
- Cyberstalking (originally included, but later dropped).