Tyler Perry has been sued for alleged "sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress" by an actor named Mario Rodriguez, who played "Frat Guy No. 10" in 2016's Boo! A Madea Halloween, Variety reports.
Filed Thursday, December 25, this new lawsuit alleges that Perry made unwanted sexual advances toward Rodriguez in multiple instances over several years, including alleged acts of sexual assault and sexual battery at the Hollywood mogul's Los Angeles home, CBS News reports. The actor is also suing Lionsgate, which distributed Boo! Madea Halloween in 2016, claiming that the company ignored Perry's alleged behavior. Overall, Rodriguez is seeking $77 million in damages.
Perry's lawyer, Alex Spiro, shared a statement with the news outlet denying these accusations. The statement reads:
"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."
Mario Rodriguez (third of four actors in the back row, L-R) in Boo! A Madea Halloween.Tyler Perry Studios/Lionsgate
For context, People reports that Rodriguez shared an Instagram video on Saturday, December 13 discussing that he felt "scared and ashamed" about coming forward with a story involving a "powerful" director who remained nameless in the post.
"I stayed quiet for much too long. I just want to say I'm really sorry, man," Rodriguez explained to his 987,000 followers on Instagram. "If I would've spoken up sooner, I could've saved somebody that this probably happened to after me."
The actor concluded, "It could've stopped with me if I would've said something…But I'm speaking up now."
The complaint obtained by CBS News details a story in which Rodriguez was approached by a trainer in 2014 at an Equinox gym in L.A., alleging that this trainer told Rodriguez about Perry wanting his phone number to discuss a potential role in an upcoming project.
According to Rodriguez, Perry actively pursued him to audition for Boo! A Madea Halloween. Upon being cast in the movie, Rodriguez claims that he was touched inappropriately by Perry during a visit to the filmmaker's home. Rodriguez mentioned other instances of alleged misconduct taking place in 2016, 2018 and 2019, which included Perry allegedly forcing Rodriguez to touch his genitals, allegedly trying to unbuckle Rodriguez's pants, and allegedly telling the actor that "if you were to just be with me, I would take care of you, and you wouldn't have to ever worry about anything," the complaint reads, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter.
Rodriguez claims that he refused Perry's advances multiple times and received a reported $5,000 each time.
In June, an actor by the name of Derek Dixon — who starred in Perry's projects such as The Oval and Ruthless — accused Perry of "using his power and influence to molest, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and vulnerable employees and actors who look to him for guidance and mentorship while pursuing their dreams," as described in a story from The Hollywood Reporter.
Legal reps for Perry also denied those accusations, calling Dixon an "individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam," and adding: "Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail."
This story is still developing…
