You need to know
Derek Dixon, who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Tyler Perry in June, explained why he was suing the filmmaker for $260 million in damages.
“A portion of that number is my lost work, my lost income, my loss of shows,” Dixon told ABC News on Tuesday, September 9th. “The other part of that is deterrent in how to stop a billionaire who doesn’t stop this myself.”
Dixon, who appeared oval and ruthlessly as Dale between 2021 and 2025, claims to have first met Perry, 55, in 2019.
ABC/Heidi Gutman
Tyler Perry and Matthew Boyd, a lawyer for TPS’s production services, condemned the allegations in a statement to people.
“This is an individual who approached Tyler Perry because of something that appears to have nothing else to do but set up a scam,” Boyd said. “But Tyler will not be shaken up and I’m sure these forged harassment claims will fail.”
When asked how he felt about filing a lawsuit and filing a claim, Dixon told ABC News, “It was tough. I think it’s fragile for everyone.”
“You just have to try and think about what you did better and deal with judgments about what you know, and everyone might think about whether you could handle it well even if you weren’t in that situation.”
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In July, Dixon was opened to a Hollywood reporter in an email interview, saying that filing this lawsuit against the entertainment mogul was “terrifying,” but he “can’t just get away with him.”
“Everyone deserves to go to work and work without their boss trying to have sex with them,” Dixon said. “My goal is to ensure that the next generation of actors and creatives don’t have to choose their dreams and dignity.”
In the $260 million lawsuit, Dixon is seeking a ju trial.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-Hope (4673) or go to rainn.org.
