Skip to main content

Second actor sues Tyler Perry for sexual assault, seeking $77M

Tyler Perry is being sued for $77 million for sexual assault by an actor who appeared in “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” marking the second lawsuit this year accusing the filmmaking mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to take advantage of young hopefuls.

Model and actor Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit on Christmas Day in California, alleging the billionaire subjected him to years of unwanted advances, including sexual battery and assault at Perry’s Los Angeles home. The suit also names Lionsgate Films, which distributed “A Madea Halloween,” claiming the studio knew of Perry’s alleged misconduct and turned a blind eye.

Perry, 56, has denied the accusations through his lawyer, Alex Spiro, who described the latest filing in a statement to the Daily News as a yet another “money grab” that will “fail.”

Rodriguez was credited as Frat Guy #10 in Perry’s 2016 film, the year after he says he met the mega-producer. According to the lawsuit, Rodriguez claims he was first approached by a trainer at an L.A. gym, who told him Perry wanted his number to discuss a potential acting gig.

That was followed by a phone call, in which Perry said he had a movie role for the inexperienced actor, before adding, “You know, Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” the lawsuit claims.

After being given his small role in the flick, Rodriguez says he was invited to Perry’s home, where the two had drinks and watched a movie. However, that quickly turned into Perry touching him inappropriately while emitting sexual sounds, according to TMZ. Uncomfortable with the interaction, Rodriguez says he left the house soon after.

Rodriguez clarifies that Perry was wholly professional during the making of “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” however that fell by the wayside after filming wrapped, he says.

The lawsuit describes additional alleged incidents between 2016 and 2019, in which Rodriguez would be invited over to Perry’s home to discuss potential projects, only for the interactions to turn sexual in nature. One encounter included Perry allegedly attempting to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants, and another in which he grabbed Rodriguez’s hand and forced it on his genitals.

The complaint claims Perry gave Rodriguez $5,000 on multiple occasions following such encounters, while apologizing for his behavior.

Rodriguez says he resisted Perry’s advances and only decided to file his lawsuit after similar allegations were made by fellow actor Derek Dixon.

Dixon, who starred in Perry’s BET shows “The Oval” and “Ruthless,” sued the Hollywood big-wig in June for $260 million, alleging he was promised professional opportunities only to be subjected to sexual harassment, assault and battery, as well as professional retaliation “when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances.”

That lawsuit, which was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has reportedly been moved to federal court in Georgia, where Perry’s studio is based.

Perry and his lawyer have denied those allegations as well.

With News Wire Services



from New York Daily News https://ift.tt/2GvBuh3
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NYPD sergeant wounded in Bronx shooting released from hospital

The Bronx NYPD sergeant wounded during a harrowing police-involved shooting with an armed assailant was released from the hospital Saturday as a group of cops cheered him on. Sgt. Nicholas Novak humbly accepted the applause from the line of NYPD well-wishers as he left Jacobi Hospital , with his pregnant wife by his side. Novak, a 12-year veteran of the department, is currently assigned to the 49th Precinct’s Quality of Life Enforcement Team, or Q-Team, officials said. He and his wife are expecting their third child. NYPD Sgt. Nicholas Novak holds hands with his wife as he leaves Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News) Novak suffered a serious head injury as he and his fellow officers grappled with an armed 18-year-old Antonio Morales, who had just fired off several shots as cops approached, officials said. The violent  confrontation erupted at the teen’s home on E. Gun Hill Road near Hone Ave. in Williamsb...
Post a Comment
Read more

Marathon hearings conclude in state case against Luigi Mangione for UnitedHealthcare CEO killing

Marathon proceedings in Luigi Mangione’s state homicide case came to a close Thursday, as Manhattan prosecutors and lawyers for the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson rested without calling any more witnesses. The parties won’t learn for some time which positions prevailed, with state Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro asking each side to submit final written arguments and indicating he would rule on Mangione’s motions to suppress evidence central to the prosecution’s case by May 18. The hearings included 17 witnesses and centered on evidence recovered and statements Mangione made to Pennsylvania law enforcement surrounding his arrest five days after Thompson’s killing. Mangione was nabbed at a McDonald’s in the city of Altoona, more than 200 miles from the Hilton hotel in Midtown, outside which the CEO was shot dead Dec. 4, 2024. Notes allegedly found by police in Luigi Mangione's backpack after he was detained at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvani...
Post a Comment
Read more

NYC mom who may die from Randalls Island beatdown spent 6 hours on ground unconscious

The Queens single mom clinging to life after being savagely beaten and robbed of her e-bike on Randalls Island was left unconscious on the ground for nearly six hours before she was discovered by a passerby the next morning, the Daily News has learned. Diana Agudelo was biking home from her job as a janitor at an East Harlem museum, taking her usual short cut through Randalls Island to get to her Astoria apartment, when she was attacked about 11:30 p.m. Friday. One or more assailants struck her multiple times in the head and face before apparently stealing her e-bike and belongings. A passerby didn’t spot her unconscious near the bike path until about 5:15 a.m. the next day as the sky began to lighten on the sparsely populated island, which is home to sports fields and institutions including shelters, a psychiatric hospital and an FDNY training facility. Agudelo made it through surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure on her brain but only has a 1% chance of ultimately surviving, ...
Post a Comment
Read more