A model who said he was recruited by film and television producer Tyler Perry for movie roles alleges in a California civil lawsuit that the mogul used his position to “to abuse and sexually assault” him.
The suit by model Mario Rodriguez, was filed in Los Angeles state court Monday and seeks $77 million in damages. It alleges Rodriguez was the victim of sexual assault and sexual battery over the roughly five years he and Perry communicated, mostly about Rodriguez’s move into film and TV.
Perry’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, characterized the suit in a statement Friday as a shakedown and anticipated it would be “a failed money grab.”
The suit alleges a trainer at the L.A. gym where Rodriguez regularly worked out at in 2015 told him Perry wanted to speak to him about acting work, and when the model gave the trainer his phone number, Perry called the same day to recruit him for a role in a project that would become “Boo! A Madea Halloween.”
Perry told Rodriguez he looked at his Instagram account and was impressed with his modeling, the suit says. When Rodriguez made clear he had never acted before, Perry allegedly said, “Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner.”
The two subsequently had drinks at Perry’s home and the producer rubbed Rodriguez’s shoulders and touched his inner thigh “right next to his penis,” the suit alleges.
During subsequent meetings with Perry in 2017, 2018 and 2019, the producer mentioned future projects that might be suitable for Rodriguez, asked if he had a sexual interest in men and touched Rodriguez’s leg and penis, the suit alleges.
During one meeting, the suit alleges, Perry grabbed Rodriguez’s hand, placed it on Perry’s penis and told him, “If you were to just be with me, I would take care of you, and you wouldn’t have to ever worry about anything.”
On two occasions where unwanted contact took place, Perry paid the plaintiff $5,000, the suit alleges. After seeing news of a lawsuit filed against Perry in June, a friend texted Rodriguez about it, and the plaintiff said he decided “it was time to tell his story, to obtain justice, and to finally stop Mr. Perry.”
When Rodriguez decided to stop speaking to Perry, the producer said he should check in at least once a month by text, but otherwise offered him no work, the suit says.
In addition to Perry, the suit names his studios’ distributor, Lionsgate, as a defendant.
The suit claims Lionsgate “failed to act” when Perry allegedly crossed boundaries with Rodriguez.
But for the studio’s “failure to act and enforce their morality clauses and other safeguards, the sexual assaults would not have occurred as Perry would not have been in a position of power,” the suit alleges.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
On Monday, Rodriguez issued a statement through his lawyer to respond to what he describes as criticism for being cordial in text messages to Perry, being employed by him and taking payments from him despite his claims.
“Continued financial support and access are not inconsistent with abuse—they are often part of the power dynamics that follow it,” Rodriguez said. “In many situations involving exploitation, money can function as a way to manage guilt, avoid conflict, or maintain silence. The existence of financial assistance does not disprove harm. It is entirely consistent with the complex realities survivors face after abuse.”
Perry’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Rodriguez’s statement.
Rodriguez’s suit follows one from June that accused Perry of using his position to pursue plaintiff Derek Dixon and touch him inappropriately in exchange for career opportunities. In that filing, Dixon alleges Perry recruited him for an acting role in 2019 before “groping” him on multiple occasions and reminding him his continued employment depended on doing a “good job.”
Responding to that suit’s initial filing in California, a lawyer for Perry said in a statement, “Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
That suit, seeking $260 million in damages, was moved to federal court in the Northern District of Georgia, where Perry operates his film, TV and streaming studios, and where he has a home at which the lawsuit alleges he served the plaintiff drinks and groped him.