Tyler Perry is facing a new ***** assault lawsuit from an aspiring actor — allegations that Perry’s legal team is dismissing as an attempt to extract money.
Mario Rodriguez, a model who appeared in a small role in Perry’s 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween, alleges in a newly filed suit that Perry made unwanted ***** advances and **** assaulted him while holding out the prospect of career opportunities. Rodriguez is seeking $77 million in damages.
Rodriguez is represented by attorney Jonathan J. Delshad, who also represents Derek Dixon, another actor who previously filed similar claims against Perry earlier this year.
In a statement dated Dec. 26, Perry attorney Alex Spiro said, “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.” Delshad disputes that characterization, saying Dixon’s claims “are alive and well, and none of them have failed; they were just moved to a different court,” after the case was relocated from California to Georgia.
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According to the complaint, Rodriguez says he was at a Los Angeles gym in 2015 when a trainer approached him and said Perry wanted to meet him. Rodriguez alleges he later spoke with Perry by phone and was offered a small part in Boo! A Madea Halloween, where he ultimately appeared as “Frat Guy #10.”
The lawsuit describes multiple occasions in which Rodriguez alleges Perry invited him to his home to talk about potential work projects, but instead made ***** advances while drinking. One of the most serious allegations in the suit involves an incident Rodriguez says occurred in November 2018, when Perry allegedly “grabbed [Rodriguez’s] penis.” Rodriguez claims he “repeatedly told Mr. Perry to stop,” and says he had to “physically struggle to get away.”
Rodriguez further alleges that Perry told him to “let it happen” and said, “If you were to just be with me, I would take care of you….” The suit also claims that after two incidents, Perry allegedly apologized, gave Rodriguez $5,000, and sent him away.
The complaint alleges a final encounter in April 2019, describing it as a moment when, in Rodriguez’s view, “More than ever before, it was clear that Mr. Perry would do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, to whomever he wanted no matter how many times he was rejected.”
Rodriguez also alleges that Perry continued to contact him intermittently through 2024. The suit claims that after Perry learned Rodriguez intended to file the lawsuit, Perry texted him again, saying he “did so much to help Rodriguez” and that he felt “betrayed.”
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In a Dec. 13 Instagram video, Rodriguez spoke broadly about why he hadn’t come forward sooner, saying he felt “scared and ashamed.” While he did not name Perry in the video, he referenced a “powerful” director “that everybody knows.”
“I stayed quiet for much too long. And I just want to say I’m really sorry, man. Because if I would’ve spoken up sooner I could’ve saved somebody that this probably happened to after me,” he said in the clip to his nearly 1 million followers. “I just wanna say sorry for that, whoever that may be. It could’ve stopped with me if I would’ve said something. … But I’m speaking up now.”
Dixon — who appeared on Perry’s TV series The Oval — filed a separate $260 million lawsuit against Perry in June, alleging **** harassment, assault, and retaliation. Perry has denied those allegations.
In September, one of Perry’s lawyers, Matthew Boyd, said Dixon is “an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam.” Boyd added, “Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
