Tyler Perry is going through a $77 million lawsuit after a second actor accused him of sexual assault.
Mario Rodriguez, who had a minor position in Perry’s movie Boo! A Madea Halloween, filed the lawsuit towards the actor and Lionsgate movies in California on Thursday, December 25, per Individuals and Web page Six.
Within the lawsuit Rodriguez reportedly alleged Perry sexually assaulted him and made undesirable advances whereas promising him future performing roles – claims that Perry’s legal professional Alex Spiro described as a “cash seize.”
Web page Six reported that Rodriguez claimed through the lawsuit that Perry “tightly hugged” him, “reached into Mr. Rodriguez’s underwear” and touched his genitals in a 2018 incident. The pair had reportedly gone to Perry’s dwelling after Perry invited Rodriguez to dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, California to speak a couple of potential position in his collection, The Oval.
“Mr. Perry was making sexual moaning noises and saying, ‘Keep right here, keep right here,’ whereas he pressed his physique towards Mr. Rodriguez and continued to seize his penis,” the courtroom papers claimed, per Web page Six.
Individuals reported that in one of many alleged undesirable advances, Perry urged Rodriguez to “let it occur” and instructed him, “If you happen to have been to simply be with me, I’d maintain you….”
In accordance with each retailers, Rodriguez additionally claimed through the lawsuit that following two incidents of undesirable sexual advances, Perry apologized and paid him $5,000.
Rodriguez, who’s looking for $77 million in damages, is being represented by legal professional Jonathan J. Delshad. Delshad additionally represented actor Derek Dixon, who beforehand made sexual assault allegations towards Perry.
“Having just lately failed in one other matter towards Mr. Perry, the exact same lawyer has now made one more demand from greater than a decade in the past which may even be a failed cash seize,” Perry’s legal professional Spiro instructed Us Weekly in an announcement on Friday, December 26.
Mario Rodriguez. Photograph by John Parra/WireImage)
Posting to his Instagram on December 13, Rodriguez spoke about an unnamed “highly effective” director “that everyone is aware of.” He defined within the submit that he felt “scared and ashamed.”
“I stayed quiet for a lot too lengthy. And I simply need to say I’m actually sorry, man. As a result of if I’d’ve spoken up sooner I might’ve saved anyone that this most likely occurred to after me,” he mentioned within the video. “I simply wanna apologize for that, whoever which may be. It might’ve stopped with me if I’d’ve mentioned one thing. … However I’m talking up now.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Rodriguez’s representatives for remark.
In June, Perry confronted an analogous lawsuit when Dixon sued Perry and his manufacturing firm over alleged sexual assault on the set of The Oval. Dixon was looking for $260 million in damages from Perry and his manufacturing firm.
Perry instructed the courtroom that actor Dixon’s lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault was “profoundly disappointing, cynical and — most of all — false,” Us Weekly reported in October.
“Dixon invents alleged assaults and encounters that by no means occurred. Mr. Perry by no means assaulted Dixon or dedicated any sexual battery. He didn’t provide Dixon pay raises and shoot Dixon’s tv pilot script to threaten, coerce, or management Dixon,” the courtroom submitting learn.
“Dixon earned by way of benefit alone no matter skilled alternatives he obtained from [Perry and his company],” Perry’s lawyer famous. “And it’s notable that in his effort to use his friendship {and professional} relationship with Mr. Perry to acquire a $260 million payday, Dixon was compelled to lie not solely about Mr. Perry, however himself too.”
