NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 27: Tory Lanez discusses his creative process during BMI's How I Wrote That Song 2018 on January 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for BMI)
Tory Lanez is apparently switching up his legal team following last month’s conviction and has hired the lawyer who helped get Snoop Dogg acquitted of murder in 1996 to oversee his appeal.
The embattled rapper, who was recently found guilty on three charges related to the July 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, hired attorney David Kenner, who famously represented Snoop during his own trial.
Kenner formally replaces George Mgdesyan as Tory Lanez’s legal counsel. Mgdesyan was unsuccessful as Lanez’s trial lawyer in the Canadian’s assault and firearm case in California last month.
Now, Kenner will lead the effort to get the conviction overturned through the appeals process. The notable attorney also previously represented former Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight.
Initial reports indicating Kenner was involved in Knight’s 2018 hit-and-run manslaughter case, however it appears Kenner was not directly involved in Knight’s no-contest plea in that situation.
Crime reporter Meghann Cuniff tweeted that Kenner only represented Knight for a robbery case back in the 1990s, adding that he “got him probation.”
“I just got off the phone with Tory Lanez’s new lawyer David Kenner, and it’s clear to me that people need to stop assuming he represented Suge Knight in the case that put Suge in prison. He didn’t! He represented him in a robbery case back in the 1990s and got him probation,” tweeted crime reporter Meghann Cuniff.
Cuniff noted that Kenner “is unhappy that so many hip-hop blogs, etc are” associating him with Knight’s hit-and-run case.
“Kenner was not Suge Knight’s lawyer for his most recent case, in which he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter over a fatal hit-and-run at Tam’s Burgers in Compton,” Cuniff added. “Kenner is unhappy that so many hip-hop blogs etc are saying he was when he actually wasn’t.”
Kenner also famously represented then-Death Row recording artist Snoop Dogg during his 1996 murder trial. A jury in that case ultimately acquitted Snoop for the deadly 1993 shooting that left 20-year-old Philip Woldemariam dead.
Cuniff went on to tweet, “Kenner confirmed to me that George Mgdesyan is no longer representing Tory Lanez, and that he’s “considering all options” for the embattled rapper.
“It’s David Kenner all the way. Regarding post-conviction motions, he told me he’s considering all options. He may discuss this a bit tomorrow in court, but the big stuff won’t come until later.”
As for Kenner, his association with the successful Snoop Dogg trial may work in his favor reputation-wise, however his involvement in Suge Knight’s vehicular manslaughter case stemming from the 2015 death of 55-year-old Terry Carter.
Following the plea deal in that case, a California judge sentenced Knight to 28 years in prison.
Cuniff highlighted Kenner’s concern over the association with such a high-profile losing case, and added that it was attorney Matthew Fletcher who actually represented Knight and brokered his plea deal.
“More about the 2015 case. Kenner didn’t represent Suge during the plea. That was Matthew Fletcher. Given all the issues surrounding the case and Fletcher, it’s certainly understandable that Kenner is a little sensitive about being associated with it,” posted Meghann Cuniff on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Lanez will look to appeal his conviction after being found guilty on three charges filed against him in relation to the Megan Thee Stallion shooting late last month, The Shade Room reported at the time.
