Additionally, Lionsgate was sued for allegedly overlooking Perry’s wrongdoing. An actress who starred in Boo! A Madea Halloween filed a lawsuit against Tyler Perry for sexual assault. This is the second lawsuit in recent months alleging the studio tycoon and director of using his influence in Hollywood to make unwanted approaches. Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit in California on Thursday, claiming that Perry repeatedly made unwelcome sexual attempts to him over a period of years, including assault and sexual violence at Perry’s Los Angeles residence. In addition to suing Lionsgate, the company that distributed the 2016 movie, Rodriguez is demanding at least $77 million (Dh282,472,500) in damages, alleging that the studio ignored Perry’s alleged wrongdoing.
An email requesting comment was not immediately answered by Lionsgate. Perry’s attorney refuted the accusations in a statement. The complaint states that in 2014, Rodriguez was approached by a trainer at a Los Angeles Equinox gym who claimed Perry needed his phone number to talk about an acting part. According to the lawsuit, Perry later told Rodriguez, “I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” encouraging him to try out for Boo! A Madea Halloween.
Rodriguez was brought to Perry’s house after he was cast, and while they were watching a movie, Perry allegedly grabbed him improperly. Additional claimed events in 2016, 2018, and 2019 are described in the lawsuit, including one in which Perry allegedly tried to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants and another in which Perry put Rodriguez’s hand on his genitalia. According to the complaint, Perry repeatedly provided Rodriguez $5,000 after the sessions. Rodriguez claims that after learning of similar accusations made by another actor, Derek Dixon, he decided to file a lawsuit after rejecting the overtures.
In June, Dixon filed a lawsuit against Perry, claiming that the director had harassed him while Dixon was working on The Oval and Ruthless. According to reports, the complaint, which was first filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has since been transferred to federal court in Georgia, the location of Perry’s studio. Sexual assault, sexual battery, and deliberate infliction of emotional distress are all alleged in Rodriguez’s lawsuit.
