Tyler Perry is being sued for sexual battery by an actor who appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween, marking the second person to accuse the filmmaker of sexual misconduct.
In the lawsuit filed Thursday and obtained by Rolling Stone, Mario Rodriguez accuses the director of making unwanted advances toward him numerous times over several years. Perry has denied the allegations.
Rodriguez claims that Perry allegedly “tightly hugged” him and “grabbed his penis” in 2018, that on another occasion in 2016, Perry “put his hands” on his “legs and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis,” and that Perry told him: “Man, if you would just come, I would take care of you for the rest of your life and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything… I know you’ll come around.”
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Perry, denied the accusations 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,” Spiro said.
Rodriguez seeks at least $77 million from Lionsgate, which distributed the Madea movie, and Perry.
Rodriguez also accused Perry of grabbing his “leg right along his penis” in 2016, and several years later, in April 2019, of grabbing the actor’s hand and placing it on his penis. “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,” reads the lawsuit about the alleged 2019 incident. “Mr. Rodriguez became very upset and went home.”
“Mr. Rodriguez is looking forward to his day in court and holding Mr. Perry accountable for his actions. We do hope a jury awards enough money to make Perry regret his actions,” Rodriguez’s lawyer, Jonathan Delshad, said in an email to Rolling Stone.
Delshad responded to the denial statement from Spiro, Perry’s attorney. “Unfortunately, statements like those made by Perry’s attorneys do nothing but enable Mr. Perry to continue to victimize people like Mr. Rodriguez,” Delshad wrote. “My client looks forward to a jury’s determination of what happened.”
In the lawsuit, Rodriguez claims that he was approached by an Equinox trainer in 2015, who said Perry wanted to meet him, and that Perry spoke to him over the phone and offered him a small role in the Madea Halloween film. The complaint details the numerous instances of alleged sexual misconduct under the guise of discussing future projects.
“I stayed quiet for much too long. And I just want to say I’m really sorry, man. Because if I would’ve spoken up sooner I could’ve saved somebody that this probably happened to after me,” Rodriguez said in a Dec. 13 video without naming Perry. “I just wanna say sorry for that, whoever that may be. It could’ve stopped with me if I would’ve said something. … But I’m speaking up now.”
Back in June, an actor named Derek Dixon accused Perry of “using his power” to “molest, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and vulnerable employees and actors.” The actor sued Perry for $260 million over alleged sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation, among other claims of misconduct in the workplace. Perry’s attorney denied the claims, calling Dixon an “individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam.” Dixon’s lawsuit was originally filed in California state court, but according to THR, has since been moved to federal court in Georgia.
