Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry has been slapped with a $77 million sexual assault lawsuit by a man claiming that he used his position and power to make unwanted sexual advances toward him repeatedly. This came after Perry offered the man a role in the 2016 comedy Boo! A Madea Halloween.
Boo! A Madea Halloween’s Mario Rodriguez sues Tyler Perry for sexual assault
Mario Rodriguez, who appeared on Boo! A Madea Halloween, has filed a lawsuit against the veteran entertainer Tyler Perry. Rodriguez’s lawsuit, filed in California, accuses Perry of “unwanted sexual advances,” spread over multiple years. The lawsuit claims instances of sexual battery and assault at Perry’s Los Angeles home. It also claims that film studio Lionsgate ignored these concerns.
This is the second lawsuit against Tyler Perry, accusing him of sexual assault. The 56-year-old was previously accused by another man, Derek Dixon, of using his “considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic.”
Tyler Perry’s estimated fortune is $1.4 billion. Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Perry, denied all the allegations. He said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “Having recently failed in another matter against Mr. Perry, the very same lawyer has now made yet another demand from more than a decade ago, which will also be a failed money grab.”
In Rodriguez’s complaint, he claims that he was approached in 2014 by a trainer at an Equinox gym, who said Perry wanted his phone number for a role. Perry later encouraged him to audition for Boo! A Madea Halloween. “You know, Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” Perry alegedly told Rodriguez. He claimed that Perry later invited him to his house, where an instance of assault took place. The lawsuit further sheds light on incidents from 2016, 2018, and 2019.
The model, who also appeared in The Family Business, reportedly decided to sue after learning of Dixon’s claims. He claimed in the lawsuit that he “realized that Mr. Perry was continuing to use his power and influence to sexually assault hopeful actors and, with the voice of others, decided that it was time to tell his story, to obtain justice, and to finally stop Mr. Perry.”
