Tyler Perry Sued for Sexual Assault By New Accuser, an Actor in a ‘Madea’ Movie
Mario Rodriguez, who was told to audition for one of Perry's movies, seeks at least $77 million from the filmmaker and Lionsgate. Perry has denied the allegations.
Tyler Perry has been sued for sexual battery by an actor who appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween and accuses the entertainment mogul of multiple instances of assault across several years at his Los Angeles home.
Mario Rodriguez, in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in California state court, claims that Perry subjected him to unwanted sexual advances, including one occasion in 2018 in which the filmmaker “tightly hugged” him and “grabbed his penis.”
In a statement, Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Perry, denied the allegations. “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,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The complaint is the second filed against Perry accusing him of leveraging his power in Hollywood to assault aspiring male actors in his orbit. Derek Dixon, who appeared in The Oval and Ruthless, sued Perry in June, alleging that the mogul pinned him against a wall and groped him.
Rodriguez brings claims for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, plus a claim against Lionsgate, which distributed Boo! A Madea Halloween and did not immediately respond to a request for comment, for turning a blind eye to Perry’s alleged misconduct. He seeks at least $77 million.
According to the lawsuit, a gym trainer at Equinox in Los Angeles approached Rodriguez in 2014 and told him that Perry asked for his phone number to discuss an acting role. That day, Perry allegedly called and told Rodriguez that he should audition for the role of a good looking college student on Boo! A Madea Halloween. “You know Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” Perry said, per the complaint.
After auditioning for and accepting the part, Rodriguez was invited to Perry’s Los Angeles home, the lawsuit says. There, they had drinks before going to his theater room to watch a movie. Perry allegedly “put his hands on Mr. Rodiguez’s legs and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis,” the lawsuit claims. Rodriguez excused himself for the restroom but Perry persisted, according to the complaint. “Man if you would just come, I would take care of your for the rest of your life and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything,” the filmmaker said, the lawsuit claims. “I know you’ll come around.”
Once filming for Boo! A Madea Halloween finished in 2016, Perry called Rodriguez and teased opportunities “about scripts [I’m] writing.” At his home, the filmmaker, who confided in Rodriguez that he had been sexually molested as a child, grabbed the actor’s “leg right along his penis,” per the lawsuit. Rodriguez says he resisted and left.