Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual harassment, workplace gender violence and sexual assault in a lawsuit from an actor who said the media mogul used his influence and power to create a “coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic”.
In the suit filed in Los Angeles last week andfirst reportedon Tuesday, Derek Dixon, who worked on Tyler Perry’s shows Ruthless and The Oval, said Perry promised career advancement but subjected him to “escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery”. Dixon alleges he was subjected to harassment and abuse by Perry while he “held direct control over his employment, compensation, and creative opportunities” and that he faced retaliation when he did not respond favorably to his advances.
Perry, the billionaire star of the Madea film series, is one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood with his own massive film and TV studios in Atlanta and a partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Network. Major studios frequently film movies on his lot.
He has denied the allegations and his lawyer described it as a “shakedown”.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Matthew Boyd, Perry’s attorney, said in a statement to media. “But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
The lawsuit alleges that Perry has “a troubling pattern of exploiting vulnerable male actors and employees” and that like “Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, Sean “P-Diddy” Combs… Mr. Perry’s success has led him to believe that money and influence can get him whatever he wants.”
“Tyler Perry has been using his power and influence to molest, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and vulnerable employees and actors who look to him for guidance and mentorship,” the lawsuit states.
The pair met in 2019 while Dixon, who was working for an events company, was at an opening party for Perry’s studio, according to the lawsuit. Perry allegedly “picked [Dixon] out of a crowd of employees present at the Party, and began asking [Dixon] questions about his employment status, and whether Plaintiff was an actor.” He began texting Dixon, first asking him about his goals and career aspirations, the suit states.
He offered Dixon a job on one of his television shows with the promise that “it was a small role that could get a lot bigger,” according to the lawsuit, “thereby setting up the first stage in a series of escalating quid pro quo offers” .
Shortly after his first acting job, Dixon was invited to Perry’s home where they drank and made conversation. Perry urged him not to drive home, according to the suit. “Dixon agreed and was escorted to a separate guest room, not knowing that this was a ruse to allow Perry to assault Dixon. Dixon was tired and did not have pajamas and so he got into bed only wearing underwear. Before he knew what was happening, Dixon felt someone else slip into bed behind him and start rubbing Dixon’s body around his inner thigh in a highly sexual and suggestive manner.”
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The lawsuit describes multiple incidents of sexual harassment and assault that unfolded over several years. “On multiple occasions, Mr. Perry sexually assaulted Mr. Dixon, including one instance where he forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon’s clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon.”
The suit includes communications between the two, including flirtatious and sexually suggestive messages from Perry that Dixon appears to attempt to rebuff.
Dixon is seeking at least $260m in damages.