Los Angeles: Filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual harassment in a new lawsuit filed by actor Mario Rodriguez, who appeared in the 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween. As Variety reports, the lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and alleges multiple instances of sexual misconduct by Perry over several years.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez claims Perry made unwanted sexual advances toward her, including an alleged incident in 2018 in which Perry “tightly hugged” her and “grabbed his penis.” The lawsuit further states that some of the alleged incidents occurred at Perry’s Los Angeles home.
Rodriguez, who played “Frat Guy #10” in Perry’s “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” is suing for sexual harassment, sexual misconduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is also bringing a claim against Lionsgate, the distributor of “Boo! A Madea Halloween”, for allegedly ignoring Perry’s actions. Rodriguez is demanding at least US$77 million.
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The complaint details an alleged incident that took place in Perry’s home screening room in 2015, claiming Perry placed his hand on Rodriguez’s leg…saying, “It’s okay.”
Rodriguez alleged that the two broke up in 2019, but Perry continued to contact her from time to time afterward. The complaint says Rodriguez was inspired to bring her claim against Perry after reading reports about Derek Dixon’s lawsuit earlier this year, according to Variety.
Responding to the latest lawsuit, Perry’s attorney Alex Spiro dismissed the allegations and called them baseless. In a statement shared with Variety, Spiro said, “After recently failing in another case against Mr. Perry, the same lawyers from more than a decade ago have now sought another, which would also be a failed money grab.”
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Spiro was referring to another lawsuit filed against Perry in June. Dixon, an actor who appeared in Perry’s BET series “The Oval,” accused the film producer of sexual harassment and assault.
According to the outlet, Los Angeles-based attorney Jonathan Delshad, who represents Rodriguez and Dixon, pointed to several text messages allegedly exchanged between Rodriguez and Perry that bolster his client’s claims.
Delshad said, “Mr. Rodriguez looks forward to his day in court and holding Mr. Perry accountable for his actions. We are hopeful that the jury will award Perry enough to make him regret his actions.” “Unfortunately, the statements made by Perry’s attorneys do nothing but enable Mr. Perry to continue to victimize people like Mr. Rodriguez. My client looks forward to a jury verdict on what happened.”
“Mr. Rodriguez realized that Mr. Perry was using his power and influence to sexually harass hopeful actors and, along with the voices of others, he decided now was the time to tell his story, seek justice, and ultimately stop Mr. Perry,” the new complaint states. “When Perry learned that Rodriguez was going to file this action, Perry once again reached out to Rodriguez via text, and told Rodriguez that Perry had done a lot to help Rodriguez and that Perry felt betrayed by Rodriguez, as quoted by Variety.