Tyler Perry Sued for Alleged Sexual Assault, Battery by ‘The Oval' Actor
Tyler Perry has been sued for sexual harassment and assault by Derek Dixon, an actor on the Perry-directed series The Oval and Ruthless, on which Dixon played a character named Dale.
According to the lawsuit filed on Friday in Los Angeles, which was obtained by Rolling Stone, Dixon accused Perry of '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 while pursuing their dreams.'
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In a statement, Matthew Boyd, an attorney for Perry, called Dixon an 'individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam.' He added, 'But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.'
The actor is suing is Perry for $260 million over alleged sexual harassment, assault and retaliation, among other claims of misconduct in the workplace.
The complaint alleged that Perry 'provided vulnerable men with acting positions, roles, show contracts, cars, and money,' and that once they were 'hooked,' the filmmaker would 'put them in fear of losing it all unless they engaged in Mr. Perry's perverted desire for sexual gratification.'
'Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendos, Dixon's character would 'die' in the next season,' the complaint claimed. 'Indeed, Dixon's character 'Dale' was shot four times in the chest at the end of his first season on 'The Oval,' and Perry always held this over Mr. Dixon's head, implying that 'Dale' would survive if Dixon kept Perry 'happy.''
Perry was accused on multiple occasions of sexually assaulting Dixon, including 'one instance where he forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon's clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon.'
After the actor allegedly reported the sexual harassment, 'Defendants did not make any investigation into the complaint and did not take any steps to prevent further harassment from occurring,' per the complaint. Production companies TPS Production Services and And Action LLC are listed as co-defendants. Dixon further claims that because the defendants 'took no action to prevent further assault or harassment,' he was forced to quit the last season of The Oval, resulting in him losing out on around $400,000.
The Oval premiered in 2019 on BET and released its sixth season on Jan. 25. Its spin-off, Ruthless, debuted on BET+ in March 2020. Representatives for BET did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Tyler Perry sued by actor on ‘The Oval' for sexual assault and harassment
An actor who worked on the Tyler Perry-created TV drama 'The Oval' has filed a lawsuit alleging Perry leveraged his industry power to repeatedly sexually assault and harass him while keeping him quiet. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by actor Derek Dixon, who appeared on 85 episodes of the BET series, seeks at least $260 million in damages. 'Mr. Perry took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation,' the lawsuit says. The lawsuit was filed Friday and first reported Tuesday by TMZ. Perry's attorney, Matthew Boyd, said its allegations are false. 'This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,' Boyd said in a statement Tuesday. 'But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.' The lawsuit says that Perry first noticed Dixon in 2019 when Dixon was part of the event staff at a Perry party, and later offered an audition. Dixon would first appear in a small role on the Perry series 'Ruthless' before getting the bigger role on the political drama 'The Oval.' Perry soon began sending unwanted sexual text messages to Dixon, according to the lawsuit, which includes screenshots of several of them. 'What's it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?' one of the messages says. The lawsuit says Perry offered Dixon an increasingly prominent role on the show as his sexual advances became more aggressive. The actor says he tried to remain friendly while maintaining boundaries. 'Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry's sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry's good side,' the lawsuit says. 'Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendoes, Dixon's character would 'die.'' The lawsuit says Perry eventually sexually assaulted Dixon on 'multiple occasions,' including an instance where he 'forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon's clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon.' Dixon clearly told Perry 'No,' but was initially ignored until he was able to de-escalate the situation and change the subject, according to the lawsuit. The following day, Perry apologized, and told Dixon he would work with Dixon on a TV pilot Dixon was seeking to produce. Dixon later received a raise that the lawsuit suggests was part of an attempt to keep him quiet. He said the fear of his character dying kept him quiet as intended. Perry also produced and bought the rights to the pilot, called 'Losing It,' but the lawsuit alleges Perry had no intention of selling the show and was using it only for leverage over Dixon. The lawsuit describes several other assaults, including one where Dixon was staying in a guest room of Perry's house when Perry climbed into bed with him uninvited and began groping him, the lawsuit alleges. Dixon would eventually move from Atlanta, home to Perry's production studio, to Los Angeles to put distance between the two of them. Dixon in 2024 filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and when that didn't result in any action from the show's producers, he quit. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Dixon has. 'The Oval' is one of many television series executive produced by, written by and directed by the 55-year-old Perry, who first became known as creator and star of the 'Madea' films and has since built a major production empire in TV and movies. As an actor he has also appeared in the films 'Gone Girl' and 'Don't Look Up.'
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Tyler Perry sued by actor on ‘The Oval' for sexual assault and harassment
An actor who worked on the Tyler Perry-created TV drama 'The Oval' has filed a lawsuit alleging Perry leveraged his industry power to repeatedly sexually assault and harass him while keeping him quiet. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by actor Derek Dixon, who appeared on 85 episodes of the BET series, seeks at least $260 million in damages. 'Mr. Perry took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation,' the lawsuit says. The lawsuit was filed Friday and first reported Tuesday by TMZ. Perry's attorney, Matthew Boyd, said its allegations are false. 'This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,' Boyd said in a statement Tuesday. 'But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.' The lawsuit says that Perry first noticed Dixon in 2019 when Dixon was part of the event staff at a Perry party, and later offered an audition. Dixon would first appear in a small role on the Perry series 'Ruthless' before getting the bigger role on the political drama 'The Oval.' Perry soon began sending unwanted sexual text messages to Dixon, according to the lawsuit, which includes screenshots of several of them. 'What's it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?' one of the messages says. The lawsuit says Perry offered Dixon an increasingly prominent role on the show as his sexual advances became more aggressive. The actor says he tried to remain friendly while maintaining boundaries. 'Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry's sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry's good side,' the lawsuit says. 'Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendoes, Dixon's character would 'die.'' The lawsuit says Perry eventually sexually assaulted Dixon on 'multiple occasions,' including an instance where he 'forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon's clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon.' Dixon clearly told Perry 'No,' but was initially ignored until he was able to de-escalate the situation and change the subject, according to the lawsuit. The following day, Perry apologized, and told Dixon he would work with Dixon on a TV pilot Dixon was seeking to produce. Dixon later received a raise that the lawsuit suggests was part of an attempt to keep him quiet. He said the fear of his character dying kept him quiet as intended. Perry also produced and bought the rights to the pilot, called 'Losing It,' but the lawsuit alleges Perry had no intention of selling the show and was using it only for leverage over Dixon. The lawsuit describes several other assaults, including one where Dixon was staying in a guest room of Perry's house when Perry climbed into bed with him uninvited and began groping him, the lawsuit alleges. Dixon would eventually move from Atlanta, home to Perry's production studio, to Los Angeles to put distance between the two of them. Dixon in 2024 filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and when that didn't result in any action from the show's producers, he quit. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Dixon has. 'The Oval' is one of many television series executive produced by, written by and directed by the 55-year-old Perry, who first became known as creator and star of the 'Madea' films and has since built a major production empire in TV and movies. As an actor he has also appeared in the films 'Gone Girl' and 'Don't Look Up.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Tyler Perry denies claims in $260M lawsuit over sexual assault claims by actor
Tyler Perry is being sued for $260 million over sexual assault claims, which he has denied. Last week, a lawsuit was filed against the actor and filmmaker on Friday, June 13, by Derek Dixon, who plays the character, Dale, in Perry's show, "The Oval." In the complaint, Dixon alleges "a sustained pattern of workplace sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation perpetrated by Tyler Perry" and is suing the filmmaker for alleged quid pro quo sexual harassment, work environment harassment and more. Tyler Perry talks success and keeping his son out of spotlight The lawsuit alleges Perry promised Dixon "career advancement and creative opportunities," only to "subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry's unwanted advances." According to the lawsuit, Dixon and Perry met in 2019 while Dixon worked for an event company that was hired to plan the opening party for Tyler Perry Studios. Dixon claims he was assigned a role at the party that "required frequent conversation with Tyler Perry." According to the lawsuit, the "Madea" filmmaker and Dixon exchanged phone numbers at the end of the party and Perry began asking the then-aspiring actor about his goals. The lawsuit states that Perry cast Dixon in his show, "Ruthless," and began sending Dixon "strange and untowardly" messages. In January 2020, the lawsuit alleges Perry invited Dixon to his home in Douglasville County, Georgia, where they drank alcoholic drinks and had "friendly" conversation. The lawsuit continues that at the end of the night, Perry told Dixon not to drive home and offered Dixon the guest room in his home. The lawsuit alleges Perry assaulted Dixon that night. According to the lawsuit, following the assault, Dixon tried to ignore Perry's calls or texts, which became more aggressive "until finally Perry offered Dixon a part in a new show called 'The Oval.'" According to the lawsuit, Dixon "put up" with Perry's comments due to fear over his role in the show being cut. "Dixon immediately understood that his job security depended on his 'relationship' with Perry," the lawsuit states. "From this point on, Dixon worked with the constant fear of losing his job if he did not engage with and endure Perry's sexual harassment." Things allegedly escalated between Dixon and Perry after they filmed the episode where Dixon's character was shot four times, "indicating a seeming end to his role on the show and his termination from the job." Perry had invited Dixon to his trailer for drinks. The lawsuit states that after he asked Dixon if he was attracted to him and other inappropriate questions, Perry allegedly assaulted Dixon when he was about to leave the trailer. "As soon as Derek Dixon left the trailer following Perry's violent assault, Dixon became severely nauseous and extremely anxious about his job, careers and livelihood," the lawsuit states. Another incident took place on Perry's private island in the Bahamas, where the cast was having a party, the lawsuit alleges. By December 2020, Dixon began "feeling depleted" due to Perry's "continued pattern of sexual harassment," according to the lawsuit. "The assaults and harassment began manifesting in his physical health and Mr. Dixon had no one to turn to." Oscars 2021: Tyler Perry receives Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award The complaint alleges that as the sexual harassment continued through the beginning of 2021, Dixon was prescribed an antidepressant for the stress he began experiencing. In June 2021, Dixon claimed he was invited by Perry to his house again to discuss the pilot for Dixon's show, "Losing It." At the meeting, Dixon alleges he was sexually assaulted again. Dixon decided to move to Santa Monica, California, in or around January 2023, allegedly "to put some distance between himself and Perry." But the lawsuit states that the "quid pro quo harassment and attempts to cover up the sexual assault by promising a show continued." After dangling the promise of producing Dixon's show multiple times, Dixon realized in 2024 that Perry was doing so in an effort to prevent Dixon "from exposing the dark side of Tyler Perry," the suit claims. When reached for comment, attorneys for Dixon told ABC, "At this point Mr. Dixon has no comment. We believe the complaint speaks for itself." In response to the lawsuit, Matthew Boyd, an attorney for Perry and TPS Production Services, LLC, said, "This is an individual who got close to Tyler 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." "Good Morning America" has reached out to BET for comment.
