Model, who is suing Tory Lanez, says he was forced into a settlement

Love & Hip Hop Miami star Christopher Michael Harty said he was forced to sign a settlement agreement that included a lawsuit against Canadian rapper Tory Lanez over threats to his life.

The model, nightlife promoter and TV personality who goes by the name Prince sued Lanez in 2020 for assault, assault and negligence arising out of an altercation at a Miami nightclub in 2019.

Prince had claimed that Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, along with his security guards and associates, started the altercation and beat him up, leaving him with bruises and bruises. Harty later added another incident to the complaint, in which he alleged that Peterson’s staff punched him in the face outside another Miami club in 2021 on Peterson’s orders.

The lawsuit seeks more than $30,000 in damages.

However, as the case moves forward in court, Harty and Peterson’s attorneys are locked in a fight over whether the case has been settled and should be dropped.

According to documents filed with the Miami-Dade County court, Peterson’s attorneys alleged that Harty agreed to settle for $20,000. However, Harty and his lawyers have since rejected the settlement and have not yet dismissed the case, claiming that Harty only agreed to the settlement out of fear for his safety.

Harty claimed in an affidavit that Peterson showed up with one of his associates at an out-of-court meeting in June to discuss the settlement. Harty claimed it was the same employee who hit and threatened his life in front of Miami Beach’s Vendôme nightclub in 2021.

Both men aggressively demanded that Harty sign the settlement agreement, he claimed in court filings. Harty also claimed the man had a firearm that was visible during the meeting.

“I thought if I didn’t sign the agreement my life would be in danger,” Harty said in the court filing. “Otherwise I would not have signed this agreement.”

Peterson’s attorneys, Andell Brown and Kadisha D. Phelps, were not immediately available for comment Friday.

Richard and Mason Wolfe, Harty’s attorneys, told the Times that the June meeting took place at Peterson’s music studio in Miami with no attorneys present. Richard Wolfe also claimed that the agreement signed by her client had nothing to do with the lawsuit but referred to an apparent contract between the two parties. Wolfe said Peterson’s attorneys did not specify what the contract covered.

“They know they have no chance of convincing a judge that this release relates to this lawsuit,” Harty said, referring to the agreement.

The court will hear arguments from both sides in late February as to whether Harty still needs to uphold his signed settlement agreement in light of the latest allegations.

Peterson is currently incarcerated in Los Angeles County while awaiting sentencing for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion after a party in the Hollywood Hills.

During the widely publicized trial, a jury convicted Peterson of assault and weapons offenses. Peterson faces more than 20 years in prison for the shooting, which led the jury to conclude he shot the rapper, whose real name is Megan Pete, in a rage at the feet.

Harty was also recently prosecuted for an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend. He was arrested and charged with assault and kidnapping in 2021, although the charges were eventually reduced to a misdemeanor, Harty’s criminal defense attorney Michael Grieco said.

The jury failed to reach a decision on the domestic violence charges, and a judge in December declared a mistrial due to inappropriate comments made by prosecutors during the trial, Grieco said. A new attempt is scheduled to begin in the spring.

Harty was also arrested in October on separate domestic violence charges, Grieco said, but the case was also dropped in December.