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, 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.
According to the complaint, Perry reached out to Rodriguez again in 2018 and said he wanted to meet for dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills to discuss a role in The Oval. After, the pair left for Perry’s home, where the mogul “tightly hugged” Rodriguez and told him to “hold on” while trying to unbuckle the actor’s pants, the lawsuit says.
“Mr. Perry reached into Mr. Rodriguez’s underwear and grabbed his penis,” writes Jonathan Delshad, a lawyer for Rodriguez who also represents Dixon, in the complaint. “Mr. Perry was making sexual moaning noises and saying, ‘Stay here, stay here,’ while he pressed his body against Mr. Rodriguez and continued to grab his penis.”
After Rodriguez freed himself, Perry apologized and gave him $5,000, the lawsuit says.
On another occasion in 2019, Perry grabbed Rodriguez’s hand and placed it on his penis, the lawsuit claims. “If you were to just be with me, I would take care of you, and you wouldn’t have to ever worry about anything,” Perry told him, alleges the complaint, which notes that Rodriguez declined the overture and was again given $5,000.
Rodriguez, who also appeared in The Family Business and is a model, says in the lawsuit that he decided to sue after learning of Dixon’s claims. He “realized that Mr. Perry was continuing to use his power and influence to sexually assault hopeful actors and, with the voice of others, decided that it was time to tell his story, to obtain justice, and to finally stop Mr. Perry.”
Dixon’s lawsuit, which was originally filed in California state court, has been moved to federal court in Georgia.
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