Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual assault by a new accuser, the actor who starred in the 2016 film “Boo! A Madea Halloween.”
In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Mario Rodriguez alleges that Perry assaulted him multiple times over several years at Perry’s Los Angeles home. The complaint alleges that Perry made unwanted sexual advances toward Rodriguez, including an incident in 2018 in which Perry “hugged him tightly” and “grabbed him by the penis.”
Rodriguez, who played “Frat Guy #10” in Perry’s film Boo! A Madea Halloween, is suing him for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is also suing Lionsgate, the distributor of “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” for ignoring Perry’s actions. Rodriguez is seeking at least $77 million.
“Mr. Perry then placed his hand on Mr. Rodriguez’s leg and began rubbing the inside of his thigh, right next to his penis. Mr. Perry told Mr. Rodriguez, ‘It’s okay,’ and continued to rub his thigh,” the complaint said, describing an incident that allegedly occurred in Mr. Perry’s screening room at his home several months after the two met in 2015.
Rodriguez claims that the two stopped communicating in 2019, but that Perry has continued to contact her regularly. The complaint says Rodriguez was motivated to file the lawsuit against Perry after reading news coverage of the Derek Dixon lawsuit earlier this year.
In response to Rodriguez’s lawsuit, Perry’s attorney Alex Spiro said in a statement shared with Variety: “After recently failing in another matter against Mr. Perry, the very same lawyer has been making another demand for more than a decade that will also fail.”
Spiro was referring to another lawsuit filed against Perry in June. Actor Dixon, who appeared on Perry’s BET series “The Oval,” has accused Perry of sexual harassment and assault.
Dixon, who appeared on episode 85 of the show, claimed that Perry grabbed her butt while she was drunk while staying at the entertainment mogul’s guest house in June 2021. The complaint also cited alleged text messages in which Perry allegedly made repeated sexual comments and advances over several years. Dixon is seeking at least $260 million in punitive damages.
Los Angeles-based attorney Jonathan Delshad, who represents Rodriguez and Dixon, pointed to numerous text messages allegedly exchanged between Rodriguez and Perry that support his clients’ claims.
“Mr. Rodriguez looks forward to the day in court when he will hold Mr. Perry accountable for his actions. He hopes the jury will award him enough to make Mr. Perry regret his actions,” Delshad said. “Unfortunately, statements like those made by Mr. Perry’s attorneys only enable Mr. Perry to continue victimizing people like Mr. Rodriguez. My client looks forward to a jury determining what happened.”
“Mr. Rodriguez realized that Mr. Perry continued to use his power and influence to sexually assault up-and-coming actors and decided it was time to listen, tell his story, obtain justice, and finally stop Mr. Perry,” the new complaint states. “When Perry learned that Rodriguez was going to file this lawsuit, Perry contacted Rodriguez again by text message, telling Rodriguez that Perry had gone to great lengths to help Rodriguez and that Perry felt betrayed by Rodriguez.
