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Tyler Perry faces lawsuit for sexual assault by a second accuser, as the actor files for $77 million against the filmmaker
Tyler Perry Hit with a $77 Million Lawsuit Over New Sexual Assault Allegations
Tyler Perry is now in legal trouble for a new $77 million lawsuit. The lawsuit was brought by actor Mario Rodriguez, who claims that Perry sexually assaulted him. Rodriguez appeared in the film Boo! A Madea Halloween, which Perry directed.
On Thursday, Rodriguez sued Perry and Lionsgate in a California court. His lawsuit accuses Perry of repeatedly sexually abusing him.
The court papers that were seen by Page Six reveal that Rodriguez is accusing Perry, who is 56, of making a sexual move on him in 2018 by “hugging him tightly” and “stroking his genitals”.
Rodriguez recalls meeting Perry for the first time in 2015 at an Equinox gym. He further states that the event happened when Perry took him out for dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills after they had talked about a possible role for him in Perry’s TV show The Oval.
Actor Alleges Multiple Incidents of Sexual Assault by Tyler Perry
The complaint states Mario Rodriguez and Tyler Perry after having dinner at Mastro’s went to Perry’s place. It was the place where the alleged assault happened. Rodriguez describes the situation saying that Perry verbally instructed him to ‘hold on’ in the moment when he (Perry) was trying to unbuckle his pants.
Then Perry, “reached into Mr. Rodriguez’s underwear” and got physical with him, according to the allegation text.
“Mr. Perry was making sexual moaning noises, urging ‘Stay here, stay here,’ while he pressed one body against Mr. Rodriguez and kept on grabbing his penis,” the suit further states.
Rodriguez indicates that at one point he was able to get Perry off of him, to which Perry allegedly made an excuse and handed over $5,000 to him.
Besides that, the complaint states that a second incident happened in 2019 when Perry reportedly took hold of Rodriguez’s hand and directed it to his private parts.
Mario Rodriguez Accuses Tyler Perry of Repeated Sexual Advances
Mario Rodriguez in his court filing states that Tyler Perry attempted to seduce him into a sexual relationship by allegedly telling him, “If you were to just be with me, I would take care of you, and you wouldn’t have to ever worry about anything,” as per the court documents.
After Mario Rodriguez declined Perry’s advances again, the Madea Goes to Jail director reportedly gave him another $5,000, according to the lawsuit.
Moreover, the suit states that Lionsgate, the film distributor, “knows” about Perry’s alleged misconduct and “continues to provide Perry with funding to create films in reckless disregard of its duty to intervene and ensure that actors working with Perry are not assaulted.”
Perry’s lawyer Alex Spiro, in a statement to Page Six, refuted the allegations saying, “Mr. Perry’s lawyer [Jonathan Delshad] who failed in a matter against Mr. Perry recently, has now come up with another demand from more than a decade ago which will also be a failed money grab.”
Mario Rodriguez Latest Lawsuit Follows Derek Dixon $260 Million Sexual Assault Claim Against Tyler Perry
Mario Rodriguez, the latest complainant, is alleged to have come only a few months after Derek Dixon filed a suit for $260 million accusing Tyler Perry of sexual assault.
Dixon, who was an actor in Perry’s series ‘The Oval’, accuses the director of first making sexual advances to him when he was invited to his Atlanta home in January 2020. As per court papers, Dixon states that he was drunk and therefore slept in one of Perry’s guest rooms, and later alleges that Perry came into bed with him and touched his thighs. Dixon tells that he turned down the advances.
Dixon narrates to the court that he first met Perry in 2019 when the producer reportedly saw him in a crowd at an event, came over, and asked for his phone number because of a possible role.
Derek Dixon’s $260 Million Sexual Harassment and Assault Lawsuit Against Tyler Perry
Derek Dixon in a court filing has accused Tyler Perry started sending him sexually suggestive texts after they met for a role in a show The Oval. The complaint alleges that the texts included Perry inquiring about Dixon’s sexual orientation and admitting that he is a man who has sex with men.
Dixon states that he avoided reporting the alleged harassment or strongly refused Perry’s advances because he was scared of losing his role in the BET+ drama, thus he portrays the scenario as one where there was a quid pro quo kind of pressure related to the job.
He filed for $260 million as compensation for the damages caused to him due to the premiss of work for sex harassment, sexual harassment at workplace, sexual assault and battery.
When the lawsuit was made public, Perry’s lawyer Matthew Boyd came out in defense of his client and accused the suit of being a “scam.”
Tyler Perry’s Lawyer Brands Previous Alleged Assault Suit as a “Scam” Even As Accuser Breaks Silence
An extreme reaction from Tyler Perry’s legal representatives attorney Matthew Boyd to Derek Dixon’s staggering $260 million sexual assault, harassment lawsuit where he basically ridiculed the claims was a breath of fresh air.
“This is a person who got into Tyler Perry’s trust for what now seems to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Boyd said in the statement. “But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are sure these made-up complaints of harassment will get thrown out.”
Meanwhile, Dixon has ramped up his accusations. During a September interview on ABC News, he told the channel that he had made it “pretty clear [he] was not interested in that type of relationship” with Perry.
“I don’t see anything wrong with people making a move or shooting their shot, but if they get rejected, I think they should stop,” he explained. “I assumed it would have ceased at that point, but it didn’t.”
