An actor and screenwriter has accused Tyler Perry of sexual harassment, alleging in a lawsuit that the media mogul repeatedly made unwanted advances and sought to cover up an assault with an offer to develop a show.
The 46-page complaint, which was filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court and seeks punitive damages totaling $260 million, compares the allegations to those against other well-known entertainment industry figures accused of sexual misconduct.
“Mr. Perry’s success has led him to believe that money and influence can get him whatever he wants,” the complaint says, adding: “Mr. Perry sought the one thing his wealth and influence could not purchase — a sexual relationship with a man who would remain silent.”
In a statement, a lawyer for Perry accused the plaintiff, Derek Dixon, of trying to get close to Perry “for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
According to the lawsuit, Perry offered Dixon — who at the time worked for an events company — his first acting role in 2019. A few months later, he invited Dixon to his home in Georgia and served him several drinks before he told him to stay in his guest room, according to the suit.
Perry suddenly appeared in Dixon’s bed and began groping him, according to the suit.
“Dixon kept informing Perry that he was not into sex in order to keep Perry at bay while at the same time not insulting the person who was dangling his career in front of him,” the suit says.
Perry continued to text Dixon about his sex life, according to the suit, which says that the more Dixon ignored Perry the more aggressive he became. After Dixon quit his job and took a role on Perry’s show “The Oval,” the suit says, Perry would ask about his sexual preferences, go on sexually explicit rants and call or text him almost daily, treating him as his on-call “pet.”
Dixon’s character in “The Oval” was scripted to be shot at the end of the season, but according to the suit, Perry indicated that he might survive the shooting and appear in future seasons if Dixon did a “good job.”