I would on take away the big leaves covering the tops that arent getting enough light , and if you have to remove lots of leaves i would advise you do it slowly , remove some wait a few days to see how she reacts then do it again as needed . Its not really needed but it will help those shaded tops get nice and big . So at the end of the day the answer is yes you can defoliate but be cautious about it and don't do too much at ones , this will promote your shaded tops to get bigger as well as make your plant pump out more foliage because it thinks its being grazed by an animal , so it will want to try and recover as quickly as possible from that to make sure it "lives" . I hope this information helps you on your journey to the finish line ! -Happy Growing!