Tyler Perry was sued for sexual assault by an actor who appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween, marking the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit Thursday in California, alleging Perry subjected him to repeated unwanted sexual advances over several years, including sexual battery and assault at Perry’s Los Angeles home. Rodriguez is seeking at least US$77mil in damages and also has sued Lionsgate, which distributed the 2016 film, accusing the studio of turning a blind eye to Perry’s alleged misconduct.
Lionsgate did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
In a statement, Perry's lawyer denied the allegations.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez was approached in 2014 by a trainer at an Equinox gym in Los Angeles who said Perry wanted his phone number to discuss an acting role. Perry later encouraged Rodriguez to audition for Boo! A Madea Halloween, telling him, "I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” the lawsuit claims.
After Rodriguez was cast, he was invited to Perry’s home, where Perry allegedly touched him inappropriately while they watched a movie. The lawsuit describes additional alleged incidents in 2016, 2018 and 2019, including one encounter in which Perry allegedly attempted to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants and another in which Perry placed Rodriguez’s hand on his genitals. The complaint says Perry gave Rodriguez US$5,000 on multiple occasions following the encounters.
Rodriguez says he resisted the advances and ultimately decided to file suit after learning of similar allegations made by another actor, Derek Dixon.
Dixon sued Perry in June, alleging the filmmaker groped him while Dixon worked on Perry’s television series The Oval and Ruthless. That lawsuit, which was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has reportedly since been moved to federal court in Georgia, where Perry's studio is based.
Rodriguez’s lawsuit includes claims of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. – AP
