Lawsuit Accuses Tyler Perry of Sexual Assault

Arts|Lawsuit Accuses Tyler Perry of Sexual Assault

The filmmaker and media mogul Tyler Perry is being sued for $260 million for sexual assault by an actor who starred in “The Oval,” one of Mr. Perry’s television series.

Derek Dixon, who played the character Dale on the show, claims in a lawsuit that Mr. Perry subjected him “to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances.”

Lawyers for Mr. Perry and Mr. Dixon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Matthew Boyd, a lawyer for Mr. Perry, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the lawsuit was a “scam.”

“Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail,” Mr. Boyd said.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in a Los Angeles court, Mr. Dixon met Mr. Perry in 2019, when Mr. Dixon worked for an event company that had organized a party for the filmmaker. The two exchanged numbers, and Mr. Perry initially offered him career advancement, Mr. Dixon said.

Soon afterward, Mr. Perry began sending Mr. Dixon sexually suggestive text messages, according to the lawsuit, which included images of messages sent between the men.

In one episode mentioned in the lawsuit, in 2020, Mr. Perry invited Mr. Dixon to his home in Douglasville, Ga., near Atlanta, where the two had drinks and Mr. Dixon spent the night in a guest room. During the night, Mr. Perry got into bed with Mr. Dixon and began “rubbing Dixon’s body around his inner thigh in a highly sexual and suggestive manner,” according to the lawsuit. Mr. Dixon jumped out of bed and told Mr. Perry that he “wasn’t that sexual,” according to the lawsuit.

Afterward, Mr. Dixon ignored Mr. Perry’s texts, until Mr. Perry offered him a role in “The Oval,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also describes an incident in 2021 when Mr. Dixon spent the night at Mr. Perry’s house, and claims that when Mr. Perry asked for a good night hug, he pulled down Mr. Dixon’s underwear and “began to vigorously grab, grope, and play with Dixon’s buttocks in a sexual manner.”