Actor from ‘Madea Halloween’ Files $77 Million Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Tyler Perry

LOS ANGELES (AP)

Tyler Perry, known for his role in “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” is facing a new sexual assault lawsuit. This marks the second allegation against the filmmaker in recent months, suggesting he may have abused his power in Hollywood.

Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit in California on Thursday. He claims Perry made numerous unwanted sexual advances over the years, including instances of sexual assault and other assaults at Perry’s Los Angeles residence. Rodriguez seeks at least $77 million in damages and has also implicated Lionsgate, the studio behind the 2016 film, alleging that they ignored Perry’s alleged misconduct.

As of now, Lionsgate has not provided a comment on the matter.

Perry’s attorney has categorically denied the allegations in an official statement.

According to Rodriguez, a trainer at Equinox Gym in Los Angeles reached out to him in 2014, asking for Perry’s contact information to discuss possible acting roles. Perry later encouraged Rodriguez to audition for “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” allegedly telling him, “You know me, I’m not a bad person to put in a corner.”

After landing a role in the film, Rodriguez was invited to Perry’s home, where he claims Perry made inappropriate advances while they were watching a movie. The lawsuit outlines other incidents from 2016, 2018, and 2019, including one where Perry allegedly attempted to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants and another where he allegedly placed Rodriguez’s hand on his own genitals. The complaint notes that Perry also gave Rodriguez $5,000 several times following these encounters.

Rodriguez mentioned that he became aware of similar allegations made by another actor, Derek Dixon, which prompted him to take legal action.

Dixon had previously sued Perry in June, claiming he was molested while working on Perry’s shows “The Oval” and “Ruthless.” That lawsuit was initially filed in Los Angeles Superior Court but has since been transferred to federal court in Georgia, where Perry’s studio is located.