California Correctional Institution Warden Thomas Valdez has denied responsibility for the prison attack at the centre of Tory Lanez’s lawsuit seeking approximately $100 million in damages.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Valdez disputed allegations that his actions caused the rapper’s injuries or violated his rights. His filing instead attributed responsibility to Lanez and correctional officers. Valdez acknowledged that fellow inmate Santino Casio attacked Lanez with an improvised weapon while they were housed at the same facility.
Lanez argues that they should not have been placed in the same unit because of Casio’s alleged history of violence. The rapper filed the lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections, Valdez and 50 correctional officers, alleging that officials failed to provide adequate supervision and protection. Lanez was taken to hospital after the attack, having reportedly sustained 14 wounds and two collapsed lungs.
His lawsuit alleges that officers were absent when they should have been supervising the area and that prison authorities showed deliberate indifference to violence within the facility. Valdez rejects those allegations and maintains that he is not legally responsible for the injuries Lanez suffered.