An actor who appeared in Tyler Perry’s “Boo! A Madea Halloween” allegedly confided within the media mogul about well being issues and monetary woes months earlier than submitting a $77-million sexual assault lawsuit towards the billionaire actor-director final week.
The actor, recognized in courtroom paperwork as Mario Rodriguez, sued Perry on Thursday for sexual assault and sexual battery in connection to a number of alleged encounters from 2015 and 2019. The 23-page civil grievance, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court docket, claims that Rodriguez reduce off contact with Perry in 2019 and that by way of 2024 the director “would randomly attain out to Mr. Rodriguez.”
Screenshots of textual content messages, obtained by a number of shops together with the Related Press, appear to point out in any other case.
Rodriguez initiated textual content conversations with Perry as not too long ago as August of this yr. In a press release Monday, Rodriguez mentioned “individuals are pointing to messages the place I used to be well mannered, grateful, or susceptible — and making an attempt to make use of that to discredit me.”
“Survivors typically keep cordial. They typically ask for assist after they really feel determined,” he added. “That doesn’t imply abuse didn’t occur. These textual content messages had been despatched to Perry at a time once I was particularly susceptible as could be seen from the context.”
The Related Press reported Monday that Rodriguez expressed gratitude to Perry in a message despatched throughout Thanksgiving 2024. “Simply know that I like you and I thanks for every little thing, I admire you to the moon,” Rodriguez mentioned in a single message, in accordance with screenshots printed Monday by TMZ.
In a separate string of texts despatched Aug. 31, Rodriguez knowledgeable Perry of his ongoing well being points, including that he didn’t have medical health insurance. “I do know I promised you I’d by no means ask you for something, however whether it is what I feel it’s, I don’t assume I might do it by myself as a result of I barely pay my payments,” Rodriguez mentioned in a single message, in accordance with TMZ.
“I simply can’t go to the physician as a result of I can’t even afford it,” Rodriguez mentioned in one other August textual content message. “I don’t need something. I simply wanna be OK. Scared brother.”
Perry legal professional Alex Spiro mentioned Monday in a press release: “I mentioned it earlier than and I’ll say it once more. That is nothing however a 77 million greenback cash seize rip-off.”
The Rodriguez go well with comes after “The Oval” actor Derek Dixon sued Perry in June, alleging quid professional quo sexual harassment, sexual battery, retaliation and extra. Dixon is searching for $260 million in damages.
Rodriguez alleges in his lawsuit that Perry, 56, leveraged his Hollywood stature “to abuse and sexually assault individuals who hope to safe roles in his films,” echoing claims Dixon made in his June submitting. Rodriguez additionally alleges that Perry didn’t rehire him for additional initiatives as a result of he rejected the director’s sexual advances. Rodriguez and Dixon are each represented by legal professional Jonathan J. Delshad.
In response to the brand new lawsuit, Rodriguez began out as a mannequin earlier than a coach approached him at a luxurious gymnasium in 2015 and put him in touch with Perry for a possible function in “Boo! A Madea Halloween.” Earlier than Rodriguez auditioned and secured the minor function, Perry allegedly knowledgeable him, “I’m not a foul individual to know and have in your nook” and touted the concept of extra roles sooner or later.
The lawsuit alleges the mogul first sexually assaulted Rodriguez in Perry’s Los Angeles dwelling in 2015. The 2 started consuming collectively earlier than Perry invited the actor-model to his dwelling theater to observe a film, the doc says. Perry, who instructed Rodriguez to depart his telephone within the kitchen, allegedly requested the actor about his private life and proceeded to hug him and praise his look. He allegedly started rubbing Rodriguez’s shoulders and chest whereas making sexual noises, the lawsuit mentioned. After Rodriguez tried to distance himself, Perry allegedly continued touching the actor, “rubbing his inside thigh proper subsequent to his penis,” the grievance says.
The filmmaker’s sexual assaults continued, the lawsuit alleges, within the years after he and Rodriguez wrapped the “Madea” movie in 2016. Rodriguez returned to L.A. and stayed in touch with Perry, who invited Rodriguez to go to his dwelling once more to debate future initiatives, the submitting says.
“After a few visits, Mr. Perry then once more started to make extra sexual feedback to Mr. Rodriguez” about his look, “and to ask him graphic sexual questions” together with whether or not he had ever had intercourse with one other man, the lawsuit says. Perry allegedly grabbed Rodriguez’s leg close to his genitals once more, the grievance says.
In November 2018, Rodriguez accepted one other invitation from Perry to debate a possible function within the TV sequence “The Oval.” They met for dinner in Beverly Hills, the place Perry allegedly requested “So what are we? What are we doing?” earlier than the director instructed Rodriguez to satisfy him at his Los Angeles dwelling later that night.
Conversations about potential collaborations took a sexual flip, the lawsuit says, when Perry requested Rodriguez whether or not he favored oral intercourse and if he had given oral intercourse to a person. Perry allegedly tightly hugged Rodriguez, tried to unbuckle the actor’s pants, reached into his underwear and grabbed his penis, in accordance with the grievance. Earlier than Rodriguez left Perry’s dwelling in a rideshare, the filmmaker positioned $5,000 in his pocket, the go well with says.
Perry continued to ask Rodriguez to his Los Angeles dwelling underneath the guise of labor and sexually assaulted the actor over the next months, the lawsuit says. After one other incident in April 2019, the go well with says, Rodriguez stopped speaking with Perry.
Perry allegedly grew to become infuriated by Rodriguez’s efforts to maintain his distance and despatched the actor expletive-filled texts. The lawsuit consists of screenshots of the alleged exchanges, together with one during which Rodriguez apologizes for not staying in contact with the director as a consequence of private issues.
“I deserve a textual content at [least] as soon as a month,” Perry texted Rodriguez, in accordance with the lawsuit. He additionally requested the actor about his bodily coaching and requested to see photos, the grievance mentioned.
Concerning his surfaced texts to Perry, Rodriguez added in his assertion that “continued monetary help and entry aren’t inconsistent with abuse — they’re typically a part of the ability dynamics that observe it.”
He added: “The existence of economic help doesn’t disprove hurt. It’s completely in keeping with the advanced realities survivors face after abuse.”
Rodriguez additionally sued Perry for intentional infliction of emotional misery and sued “Boo! A Madea Halloween” distributor Lionsgate for negligent retention.
