Tyler Perry was sued for sexual assault by an actor who appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween, marking the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit Thursday in California, alleging Tyler subjected him to repeated unwanted sexual advances over several years, including sexual battery and assault at Tyler’s Los Angeles home. Mario is seeking at least $77 million in damages and also has sued Lionsgate, which distributed the 2016 film, accusing the studio of turning a blind eye to Tyler’s alleged misconduct.
Lionsgate did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. In a statement, Tyler's lawyer denied the allegations.
According to the complaint, Mario was approached in 2014 by a trainer at an Equinox gym in Los Angeles who said Tyler wanted his phone number to discuss an acting role. Tyler later encouraged Mario to audition for Boo! A Madea Halloween, telling him, “I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” the lawsuit claims.
After Mario was cast, he was invited to Tyler’s home, where Tyler allegedly touched him inappropriately while they watched a movie. The lawsuit describes additional alleged incidents in 2016, 2018 and 2019, including one encounter in which Tyler allegedly attempted to unbuckle Mario’s pants and another in which Tyler placed Mario’s hand on his genitals. The complaint says Tyler gave Mario $5,000 on multiple occasions following the encounters.
Mario says he resisted the advances and ultimately decided to file suit after learning of similar allegations made by another actor, Derek Dixon.
Dixon sued Tyler in June, alleging the filmmaker groped him while Dixon worked on Tyler’s television series The Oval and Ruthless. That lawsuit, which was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has reportedly since been moved to federal court in Georgia, where Tyler's studio is based.
Mario’s lawsuit includes claims of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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