Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual abuse in a second lawsuit filed by an actor who worked for the media mogul.
Mario Rodriguez, who had a small part in Perry’s 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween, filed the complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, Dec. 25. The $77 million lawsuit alleges sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
According to the lawsuit obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Rodriguez alleges Perry made unwanted sexual advances, “grabbed his penis,” and assaulted him on multiple occasions.
Perry’s attorney Alex Spiro denied the allegations and called the filing a “money grab.”
Related: Tyler Perry Accuser Derek Dixon Says He Refuses to ‘Stay Silent’
Rodriguez played “Frat Guy #10” in Perry’s Halloween movie, per his IMDb page.
In a 2016 post on Instagram, the actor shared a picture from the film, and included the caption: “Boo!!! A Madea Halloween is now in THEATERS! Grab a friend and watch it! Come show your favorite Latin kid some love. Let’s make it the number one movie this weekend.”
The lawsuit says the model and actor met Perry in 2014, after a fitness trainer at an Equinox gym in Los Angeles told him Perry wanted his phone number to discuss a possible acting role.
After auditioning for the Madea movie, Rodriguez says he was invited to Perry’s Los Angeles area home. The complaint says while inside the filmmaker’s home movie theater, Perry allegedly “put his hands on Mr. Rodriguez’s legs and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis.”
Rodriguez claims Perry told him, “Man if you would just come, I would take care of you for the rest of your life and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything,” adding, “I know you’ll come around.”
The lawsuit says Perry continued to contact the aspiring actor and dangled future opportunities.
The complaint says in 2018, Perry told Rodriguez they should meet for dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills to discuss work on the BET series, The Oval.
According to the complaint, they went to Perry’s home where the mogul “tightly hugged” Rodriguez, allegedly tried to unbuckle the actor’s pants, and “grabbed his penis.”
After Rodriguez declined the advances, the complaint says Perry allegedly apologized and gave him $5,000. Then, on another occasion, Rodriguez alleges Perry made an advance and said, “If you were to just be with me, I would take care of you, and you wouldn’t have to ever worry about anything.”
Rodriguez says he refused again and was allegedly given another $5,000 by Perry.
The aspiring actor is represented by Jonathan Delshad, a Los Angeles attorney who filed a $260 million lawsuit in June, on behalf of The Oval actor Derek Dixon.
The new lawsuit also names Boo! A Madea Halloween distributor Lionsgate as a defendant for allegedly ignoring Perry’s behavior. Rodriguez is seeking at least $77 million in damages.
In response to the lawsuit, Perry’s attorney 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 fired back, saying Derek Dixon’s claims “are alive and well, and none of them have failed; they were just moved to a different court.”
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