Tyler Perry hit with $77m sexual assault lawsuit from Madea costar who alleges director grabbed his penis

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Tyler Perry is facing another sexual assault lawsuit, coming only a few months after the first one was filed.

Mario Rodriguez, a former model and actor who appeared in Tyler Perry’s 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween, is suing Perry, alleging that Perry groped him and made unwanted sexual advances, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail.

Perry, 56, has refuted the claims made by Rodriguez, dismissing them as a lawsuit intended to obtain money.

Alex Spiro, Perry’s lawyer, told the Daily Mail that the current claim is another unsuccessful attempt by the same attorney who recently lost a case against Perry. He described it as a baseless attempt to get money from an old issue.

Jonathan J. Delshad, the lawyer for Rodriguez (and previously for actor Derek Dixon in his case against Perry), told People that Dixon’s lawsuit is still active. He explained that while the case was transferred from California to Georgia, the claims themselves haven’t been dismissed.

Court documents obtained by the Daily Mail show that Dixon alleged Perry subjected her to increasing sexual harassment, physical assault, and professional repercussions after she rejected his unwanted advances.

Perry disputed Dixon’s accusations, and his lawyer dismissed them as false in a statement to the Daily Mail.

Rodriguez launched a lawsuit in California on Thursday, also including Lionsgate Films as a defendant in the case.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for both Rodriguez and Lionsgate, but they haven’t received a reply yet.

Rodriguez is reportedly seeking a massive $77 million judgment in the latest lawsuit against Perry.

In 2015, while Rodriguez was working out at a Los Angeles gym, a trainer told him that Tyler Perry wanted to talk to him.

I was so excited to hear that Tyler Perry actually talked to this actor on the phone! It led to him landing a small part in Boo! A Madea Halloween – he was credited as ‘Frat Guy #10,’ which, honestly, is a pretty cool way to get your foot in the door with Perry!

Rodriguez says that Perry continued to invite him over to talk about potential job opportunities for years.

According to reports, Rodriguez’s lawsuit states that Perry was drinking and then allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward the actor.

Let me tell you, as someone who’s always paying attention to workplace dynamics, this situation is deeply concerning. According to Rodriguez, during a 2015 meeting, Perry started rubbing his shoulders and made an inappropriate comment about them. Things then escalated – Rodriguez alleges Perry began making unsettling noises while continuing to touch his chest and shoulders. It’s a really disturbing account of unwanted physical contact and a clear overstepping of boundaries.

In another incident in November 2018, Perry reportedly grabbed Rodriguez’s penis, even after Rodriguez repeatedly asked him to stop.

Rodriguez claims that he had to ‘physically struggle to get away’ from Perry.

He says the filmmaker instructed him to allow things to unfold naturally. Perry reportedly begged, “If we were together, I would provide for you…”

The lawsuit claims that Perry apologized to Rodriguez after making two unwanted advances, then paid him $5,000 and let him go.

Rodriguez alleges that the last time he went to see Perry was in April 2019. 

He argues that it became increasingly obvious Mr. Perry would relentlessly pursue his desires, disregarding any opposition or previous failures.

According to Rodriguez, Perry continued to contact him up through 2024. 

He says Perry attempted to contact him by text message once he found out about the planned lawsuit.

Perry reportedly texted that he had helped Rodriguez significantly and felt betrayed by him.

In his lawsuit, Rodriguez claims Perry stopped contacting him after he allegedly turned down the director’s unwanted advances.

In a video posted on Instagram on December 13th, Rodriguez claimed he was sexually assaulted by a well-known and influential director.

He felt like his dreams were finally becoming reality when the director invited him to his house to talk about potential new work.

Rodriguez explained that he didn’t speak up about the alleged assault because he was afraid, and he’s sorry for the delay in sharing what happened, as he hopes it could have warned others.

He ended by urging his followers to ‘stay tuned’ for more updates and details.

Tyler Perry started his career performing on stage in Atlanta. He became famous through his popular plays and movies, especially those featuring his character Madea, a humorous elderly grandmother that he plays himself.

After achieving success with his popular Madea stage plays and movies, Perry started directing more widely released films. He also appeared as an actor in films like the hit thriller Gone Girl (2014), starring Ben Affleck, and Alex Cross (2012).

In 2015, Perry broadened his goals in filmmaking by purchasing a 330-acre former military base in Atlanta. He then developed this land into Tyler Perry Studios.

Today, it’s a leading film and television studio in the United States, known for hosting blockbuster movies like Marvel’s Black Panther and hit TV series such as The Walking Dead.

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2025-12-27 08:34