Tyler Perry is being sued for sexual assault again, just months after a previous lawsuit was filed against him.
The model-turned-actor Mario Rodriguez, who had a small role in Perry’s 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween, claims in his new lawsuit that Tyler Perry groped him without his consent and also subjected him to unwanted sexual advances.
Tyler Perry, 56, has denied Rodriguez’s allegations, claiming that they amount to nothing more than a ‘money grab.’
Perry’s attorney Alex Spiro in a statement, said, ‘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 a response to People, Rodriguez’s attorney, Jonathan J. Delshad — who also represented the actor Derek Dixon in his lawsuit against Perry that was filed over the summer — claimed that Dixon’s lawsuit was ‘alive and well, and none of [his claims] have failed; they were just moved to a different court,’ referencing the lawsuits move from California to Georgia.
According to court filings obtained previously by the Daily Mail, Dixon accused Perry of ‘escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when [Dixon] did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances.’
Tyler Perry denied Dixon’s claims, and one of his attorneys called them ‘fabricated’ in a statement.
Rodriguez, who filed his lawsuit in California on Thursday, also named Lionsgate Films as a defendant.
Rodriguez is reportedly seeking a massive $77 million judgment in the latest lawsuit against Perry.
According to Rodriguez, he was working out at a gym in Los Angeles in 2015 when a trainer approached him and said that Tyler Perry was interested in speaking with him.
The model and actor allegedly chatted later on the phone with Perry, who gave him a tiny supporting role in Boo! A Madea Halloween, which was credited as Frat Guy #10.
Rodriguez claims that, for years to come, Perry would invite him to his home so that they could discuss possible work projects.
Rodriguez’s lawsuit reportedly claims that Perry had been drinking, and he allegedly made sexual advances at the aspiring actor.
Rodriguez claims that Perry rubbed his shoulders during a 2015 meeting and said, ‘Man, I like your shoulders,’ before he allegedly began making ‘sexual grunting noises’ as he rubbed Rodriguez’s chest and shoulders with his hands.
In a subsequent incident from November 2018, Perry allegedly ‘grabbed [Rodriguez’s] penis,’ despite his repeated requests to stop.
Rodriguez claims that he had to ‘physically struggle to get away’ from Perry.
He claims that the filmmaker told him to ‘let it happen,’ and Perry allegedly pleaded, ‘If you were to just be with me, I would take care of you….’
According to the lawsuit, Perry allegedly apologized to Rodriguez after two unwelcome advances, then gave him $5,000 and dismissed him.
Rodriguez alleges that the last time he went to see Perry was in April 2019.
‘More than ever before, it was clear that Mr. Perry would do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, to whomever he wanted no matter how many times he was rejected,’ he claims.
According to Rodriguez, Perry continued to contact him up through 2024.
He claims that Perry tried to speak to him via text message after learning that he planned to file his lawsuit.
In his text messages, Perry allegedly said that he ‘did so much to help Rodriguez,’ and he said that he ‘was feeling betrayed.’
Rodriguez adds in his lawsuit that he never received another acting from from Perry, which he attributes to allegedly refusing the director’s advances.
In an Instagram video posted to his account on December 13, Rodriguez referenced allegedly being sexually assaulted by ‘a very big director, a seriously powerful person that everybody knows.’
He said he thought his ‘dreams were coming true’ when the unnamed director invited him over to his home to discuss new projects.
But after allegedly being assaulted, Rodriguez said ‘fear’ kept him ‘silent,’ and he apologized to his fans for not speaking out sooner to possibly warn others.
He ended by urging his followers to ‘stay tuned’ for more updates and details.
Perry began his career on the stage in Atlanta, and he was launched into superstardom thanks to the success of his plays and later films featuring the character Madea, an elderly grandmother whom Perry portrays.
Following the success of his Madea plays and films, Perry began to direct mainstream feature films, and he also took on acting work in films including the Ben Affleck–starring blockbuster Gone Girl (2014) and the thriller Alex Cross (2012).
Perry went on to expand his film aspirations by snapping up a 330-acre former military base in Atlanta in 2015, which became the site of Tyler Perry Studios.
It’s now one of the largest film and television studios in the US, and it has hosted major features including Marvel’s Black Panther, as well as popular TV shows like The Walking Dead.