Tyler Perry Reacts To Sexual Assault Lawsuit
Warning: Discussion of sexual harassment and assault.
Tyler Perry has been sued by an actor on The Oval, alleging sexual harassment and assault.
Derek Dixon, who played Dale in 85 episodes of the drama created, written, and directed by Perry, is seeking $260 million in damages. According to the lawsuit, they first met in 2020 when Dixon was working at one of Perry's parties. Dixon would go on to play a small role in the Perry-helmed Ruthless before his role in The Oval.
Screenshots of text messages Perry purportedly sent Dixon are in the complaint, reportedly unwanted and sexual in nature. Dixon alleges that the behavior then escalated to "multiple occasions" of sexual assault.
As per AP News, the lawsuit reads, "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."
'Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry's sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry's good side,' the lawsuit reads. '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' in the next season." Dixon further reportedly filed an EEOC complaint in 2024, after which he left the show.
Perry's attorney, Matthew Boyd, denied the allegations. "This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,' he said in a statement. 'But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.'
A representative for Tyler Perry declined to comment further on the allegations.
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Here's What's Going On With The Tyler Perry Sexual Assault Allegations
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Source: Emma McIntyre / Getty Tyler Perry's the latest big Hollywood actor to be named in a sexual assault lawsuit. The entertainment mogul and Tyler Perry Studios are being sued for $260 million for allegedly mistreating actor Derek Dixon. According to ABC News , the filing includes quid pro quo sexual harassment, work environment harassment, sexual harassment, workplace gender violence, sexual battery, sexual assault, retaliation, and more. In the suit, Dixon claims he first met Perry in 2019 while working at a party he hosted. Perry later approached him and obtained his number, suggesting that he might have a role for him in one of his upcoming productions, reports TMZ . 'Perry said it was a small role that could get a lot bigger, thereby setting up the first stage in a series of escalating quid pro quo offers,' Dixon alleged in the lawsuit. The role turned out to be for his show Ruthless , and thus began the 'strange and untowardly' text message exchanges. Then, in January 2020, the conversation escalated to Perry inviting Dixon over to his home under the guise of a professional meeting. The two reportedly drank together and had a 'friendly' conversation, so at the end of the night, Perry suggested he stay in his guest room instead of making the trek back home, which is when he allegedly assaulted him. 'Before he knew what was happening, Dixon felt someone else slip into bed behind him and start rubbing Dixon's body around his inner thigh in a highly sexual and suggestive manner,' the suit alleged. 'Dixon turned around and saw that Tyler Perry was in bed with him.' After that night, Dixon tried to distance himself from Perry by ignoring his texts and calls, but was pulled back into his orbit when he was offered a role in his show, The Oval . '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.' In another incident he claims that in June 2021 they were both at his Georgia home and Perry pulled down his underwear and grabbed his butt while asking for a 'good night hug' despite telling him to stop. 'Rather than arguing, Dixon complied, at which point Perry reached out and yanked Dixon's underwear down from behind,' the claims in the lawsuit stated. 'Perry then began to vigorously grab, grope, and play with Dixon's buttocks in a sexual manner. Dixon was naked, stunned, and seized by tremendous fear.' As part of a mountain of evidence pointing to the inappropriate relationship, Dixon provided flirty text conversations from him which CNN says included, ' What's it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?' and, 'I love how I feel right now but I don't like being horny.' See social media's reaction to the case below. Tyler Perry Accused Of Sexual Harassment In $260M Lawsuit, Social Media Dissects His Alleged Text Messages was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
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Tyler Perry is facing legal backlash to the tune of $260 million from an actor who appeared in his BET drama 'The Oval' and is accusing the media mogul of quid pro quo sexual harassment, sexual battery and retaliation, among other counts. Perry's accuser, actor Derek Dixon, filed his lawsuit against the billionaire film and TV producer in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday. The actor claims Perry leveraged his power and standing in entertainment 'to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities,' according to court documents reviewed by The Times. Tyler Perry Studios and the And Action production company are listed as co-defendants. A representative for Perry did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment but his attorney Matthew Boyd dismissed the lawsuit as a 'scam,' according to a statement shared with multiple outlets. 'Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail,' the statement said. In his 46-page complaint, Dixon says he met the 'House of Payne' creator in September 2019 when he was working as event staff for one of Perry's parties. The multi-hyphenate entertainer offered Dixon the chance to audition for his show 'Ruthless' a month after their first meeting. Perry claimed he would 'change [Plaintiff's] life' and offered him a small role in the TV series, 'setting up the first stage in a series of escalating quid pro quo offers,' the lawsuit alleges. From January 2020 to June 2024, Perry 'sustained a pattern of workplace sexual harassment, assault and retaliation,' the lawsuit alleges. Dixon appeared in 85 episodes of Perry's presidential drama 'The Oval' from 2021 to 2025, according to IMDb. Dixon accused Perry of relentlessly probing him about his sex life, making suggestive comments and expressing jealousy about his interactions with other men during the duration of their work together. The complaint features multiple screenshots of alleged conversations between Dixon and the media mogul, including messages in which the director asks 'What's it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?' and likens the actor to a rose but says he is 'so blocked that you refuse to be smelt [sic] or opened.' The lawsuit — which evokes cases against Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey and other high-profile Hollywood figures accused of sexual harassment — also details multiple occasions where Perry allegedly groped the actor. The first was in January 2020 when Dixon stayed the night in a guest room at Perry's home in Georgia and allegedly felt Perry 'slip into bed behind him and start rubbing Dixon's body around his inner thigh in a highly sexual and suggestive manner.' Dixon also accuses Perry of 'violently' grabbing his throat in March 2020, groping his buttocks in a trailer later that year, and pulling down his underwear and groping his buttocks again in June 2021. The complaint underscores that Dixon repeatedly refused Perry's advances and walked a fine line, keeping his interactions with Perry professional but friendly enough to remain in his good graces. He claims the threat of Perry killing off his character constantly loomed over his 'Oval' tenure. In addition to casting Dixon in his series, Perry also expressed interest in helping the actor develop a show, the lawsuit says. Dixon distanced himself from Perry after the alleged June 2021 assault, the lawsuit says, but the producer's 'fixers' reached out with a new storyline for his 'Oval' character and a pay raise. They also allegedly told Dixon he could not tell his castmates about the new perks. Perry allegedly continued to ask Dixon about his sex life through the years that followed and in March 2024 plans to pitch Dixon's show began to fall apart. After Perry offered Dixon a writing spot on one of his series in June 2024, Dixon 'woke up and realized Perry was never going to be serious about helping Dixon' grow his career, the lawsuit says. Dixon claims he reported the alleged sexual harassment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission but the complaint was not investigated. Dixon left 'The Oval' and Perry allegedly retaliated by telling Dixon he could say only that he was taking medical leave. 'Defendant made the leave of absence unpaid and therefore terminated Plaintiff's employment causing Dixon additional loss of income and insult,' the suit says. The lawsuit also includes allegations of work environment harassment, workplace gender violence, sexual assault, negligent retention and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
