IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Tyler Perry accused of sexual harassment in $260 million lawsuit
In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles last week, actor Derek Dixon accused the media mogul of creating a "coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic" when he was appearing on episodes of the TV shows The Oval and Ruthless. Dixon played a character named Dale on the soap operas. According to the complaint, obtained by People on Tuesday, Perry promised Dixon "career advancement and creative opportunities" but allegedly subjected him to "sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation". Dixon also alleged that Perry sexually assaulted him in January 2020, and the following month, offered the actor a recurring role on The Oval.
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Perth Now
11 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Tyler Perry sued for sexual harassment and assault
An actor on the US BET television show The Oval has filed a civil lawsuit that accuses media mogul Tyler Perry of repeated sexual assault and harassment. Derek Dixon is seeking $US260 million ($A402 million) in punitive damages from Perry in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and reported by TMZ on Tuesday. In the suit, Dixon accuses Perry of "a sustained pattern of workplace sexual harassment, assault and retaliation". A lawyer for Perry called the lawsuit "a scam". "This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than a scam," lawyer Matthew Boyd said in a statement. "But Tyler Perry will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail." Perry is a successful actor, writer and producer of dozens of TV shows and films, including the Madea movie series. Forbes estimates his net worth at $US1.4 billion. The lawsuit claims Perry met Dixon when he was working on the event staff at a party Perry was hosting, and that Perry offered him a role on the series Ruthless in 2019 and a bigger part later on The Oval. Dixon alleges that Perry sent unwanted, sexually suggestive text messages to him. The suit includes screenshots of what it said were exchanges between the two. "What's it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?" said one of the messages that Dixon said was from Perry. After the messages, Perry's behaviour escalated to sexual assault, the lawsuit said. One night at Perry's home, the lawsuit said, Perry told Dixon he was too drunk to drive and urged him to stay in a guest room. Dixon said he woke up in the middle of the night to find Perry in bed with him and rubbing his thigh. In another case, Perry "forcibly pulled off Mr Dixon's clothing, groped his buttocks and attempted to force himself on Dixon", the lawsuit said. Dixon tried to remain friendly with Perry while rebuffing his advances in order to keep his job, the lawsuit said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
News.com.au
12 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Last resort': Sad truth behind Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's intimate family Instagram posts
There's a heartbreaking truth behind Meghan Markle's recent influx of intimate family Instagram posts, according to a royal insider. Harry and Meghan have always been staunchly private when it comes to sharing insight into the lives of their two young children. But recently, Meghan has taken a step to welcome fans into their lives on a more intimate level, regularly sharing glimpses into their family dynamic in a way the couple had previously avoided. In recent weeks, Markle has shared numerous videos and pictures of her and Prince Harry's children, Archie and Lilibet, to the delight of fans. However, an insider has revealed that there's a sad motive behind the numerous posts, which Harry reportedly hopes capture the attention of his estranged father, King Charles III. 'Harry is completely heartbroken,' an insider close to the family told Daily Mail. 'His dad refuses to see him or the kids – not even on Zoom … It's a last resort. He's desperately hoping the King might see a picture of Archie or Lilibet and realise what he's missing.' The insider added that despite remaining firm publicly about their decision to ditch royal life and move to California, Harry has made repeated attempts to reach out to his father over the years. 'He's tried everything – calls, letters … But nothing's worked. This is his way of saying, 'Look at what you're missing.'' Meghan recently revealed during her first podcast interview that she had been grateful to be able to start sharing intimate moments with fans 'on her own terms'. 'Did you see my 'Baby Momma' dance?' she told the Aspire podcast. 'That was four years ago … I'm just grateful that now, being back on social … I can share it on my own terms.' Last month, Prince Harry launched an incendiary attack on his family when he claimed King Charles 'won't speak to me'. He lashed out in a TV interview after losing a multimillion-dollar fight in April for protection in the UK. Harry said he does not know 'how much longer' his father has left and that 'life is precious'. And he claimed losing the legal battle over his security in the UK meant it was 'impossible' for him to bring his family here safely. Despite Harry being in London for April's hearing, he didn't meet up with the King – meaning they haven't seen each other since early last year, shortly after the monarch's cancer diagnosis was revealed. 'Charles is not answering Harry's messages,' royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told US Weekly. 'At the moment, Harry does not seem to have a relationship with his father at all. It's truly sad.' Harry had been embroiled in a legal battle with the UK's Home Office, whom he had sued over its decision to remove his and Meghan's around-the-clock taxpayer-funded security provision after they quit royal duties.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Woman makes ‘stinky' boiled egg dinner on packed flight
A woman has been mercilessly mocked after filming herself assembling a full meal – including boiled eggs – during a long-haul flight from Los Angeles to Paris. Jess Marra, 33, set the internet alight earlier this month after bringing a stash of prepacked containers to make a DIY on-board dinner during a 10-hour flight. 'What started as a fun travel moment turned into the international egg scandal of the year,' Jess said, after her video racked up more than 1.5 million views on Instagram and was flooded with thousands of angry comments. In the now-viral video, Jess can be seen unpacking her carefully prepped ingredients which included ziploc bags of dressing and avocado, before assembling a full-blown salad in her window seat. The LA digital marketing worker filmed herself aggressively shaking her salad and even peeling avocados in the crammed economy space. Naturally, many viewers weren't impressed – especially over her choice of protein. 'New fear unlocked: I get on a plane and the person next to me starts making an egg salad,' one horrified user wrote. 'Just because you can eat an egg on a flight doesn't mean you should,' agreed another. 'Between the egg, the elbow jabbing into your neighbour, the salad shaking and the 'influencing', I am 100 per cent annoyed and I'm not on the plane. Just be a normal person and stop trying to gain attention,' a third person fumed. Jess, however, hit back, saying she took care not to disturb anyone around her. 'Despite what the internet thinks, I was discreet in my window seat and kept everything low-key,' she said. 'When the flight attendant came around for meal service I politely declined, and once everyone around me was settled eating, I got to work. No one on the flight seemed to notice or care.' 'The comments were brutal,' Jess said. 'People were yelling at me for being selfish, inconsiderate, endangering the lives of passengers, and just generally being the worst human ever. I was kind of in shock.' She insists the eggs weren't actually smelly, explaining she deliberately undercooks them to avoid any odour. 'Was it a little weird I assembled a salad at my seat? Sure,' she admitted. 'Is it the end of the world that I ate an egg on a plane? Certainly not!' She was quick to point out the double standards, saying eggs are a common ingredient in plane meals anyway. 'Hard boiled eggs are sold in every airport convenience store and even at Starbucks for people to eat during flights,' she said. 'Plane food has a strong odour and, many times, eggs are included in the meal service as well. It's not like I unwrapped a tuna melt or started microwaving salmon mid-flight!' In the end, Jess says she was just trying to enjoy a decent meal on a tight schedule. 'The internet really ran with it,' she said, 'but in reality, I'm just a hungry girl trying to eat my dinner.'
