Tyler Perry is facing a new sexual assault lawsuit, with his legal team dismissing the claims as a financially motivated attempt to exploit the filmmaker.
Mario Rodriguez, a model and actor who made a brief appearance in Perry’s 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween, alleges that Perry sexually assaulted him and subjected him to repeated unwanted advances while implying that career opportunities were dependent on compliance.
Rodriguez is seeking KSh 10 billion ($77 million) in damages. Perry’s lawyers have strongly denied the allegations, describing the lawsuit as a baseless “money grab”.
According to People, Rodriguez claims his interactions with Perry began in 2015 after a trainer approached him at a Los Angeles gym and said the director wanted to meet him. He alleges Perry later contacted him by phone and offered him a small role in Boo! A Madea Halloween, in which he appeared as “Frat Guy #10”.
The lawsuit further claims Perry repeatedly invited Rodriguez to his home under the guise of discussing future projects, but instead made sexual advances while drinking.
One alleged incident in November 2018 claims Perry grabbed Rodriguez’s genitals, despite Rodriguez repeatedly telling him to stop and physically struggling to get away.
The complaint alleges Perry pressured Rodriguez with statements such as “let it happen” and promises that he would “take care of” him if he agreed to be with him. After two alleged encounters, Perry is accused of apologising, giving Rodriguez KSh 645,000 ($5,000), and sending him away.
A further alleged incident in April 2019 is described in the lawsuit as particularly alarming, with Rodriguez claiming it became clear Perry would act however he wanted regardless of rejection.
The suit also alleges Perry continued to contact Rodriguez intermittently through 2024 and sent messages expressing feelings of betrayal after learning Rodriguez intended to file the lawsuit.
Rodriguez is represented by attorney Jonathan J. Delshad, who also represents Derek Dixon, another actor who filed a separate lawsuit against Perry earlier this year.
Dixon, who appeared in Perry’s series The Oval, is seeking KSh 33 billion ($260 million) and has accused the filmmaker of sexual harassment, assault and retaliation, allegations Perry has also denied.
In a statement dated December 26, Perry’s attorney Alex Spiro said Delshad’s latest filing concerns events from more than a decade ago and would also fail.
Delshad, however, maintains that Dixon’s case has not collapsed but was only transferred from California to Georgia.
Earlier this month, Rodriguez addressed his experience in an emotional Instagram video, telling his nearly one million followers that fear and shame kept him silent for years.
Without naming Perry, he referred to a “powerful” and widely known director and said he regretted not speaking out sooner, adding that he might have prevented harm to others.
Perry’s legal team has continued to reject all accusations, previously characterising Dixon’s claims as a scam and insisting the filmmaker will not be “shaken down” by what they describe as fabricated allegations.