Tyler Perry Sued for $77M Over Sexual Assault Claims—Actor Alleges Years of Misconduct
An actor from “Boo! A Madea Halloween” sued Tyler Perry for sexual assault. This is the second lawsuit in a few months that accuses the filmmaker and studio mogul of using his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit on Thursday in California. He says that Perry made unwanted sexual advances toward him over the course of several years, including sexual battery and assault at Perry’s Los Angeles home. Rodriguez is asking for at least $77 million in damages. He has also sued Lionsgate, the company that released the 2016 movie, saying that the studio ignored Perry’s alleged bad behavior.
Lionsgate didn’t respond right away to an email asking for a comment.
Perry’s lawyer said in a statement that the claims were false.
The complaint says that in 2014, a trainer at an Equinox gym in Los Angeles told Rodriguez that Perry wanted his phone number to talk about an acting role. Later, Perry told Rodriguez to try out for “Boo!” The lawsuit says that the person who made “A Madea Halloween” told him, “I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner.”
After Rodriguez got the role, Perry invited him to his house, where Perry is said to have touched Rodriguez inappropriately while they watched a movie. The lawsuit claims that Perry tried to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants and put Rodriguez’s hand on his genitals in 2016, 2018, and 2019, among other things. The complaint says that Perry gave Rodriguez $5,000 several times after they met.
Rodriguez says he fought off the advances and finally decided to sue after hearing about similar claims made by another actor, Derek Dixon.
In June, Dixon sued Perry, saying that the director groped him while Dixon was working on Perry’s TV shows “The Oval” and “Ruthless.” Reports say that the lawsuit, which was first filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has since been moved to federal court in Georgia, where Perry’s studio is located.
Rodriguez’s lawsuit says that he was sexually assaulted, sexually battered, and intentionally caused emotional distress.
