Tyler Perry, the entertainment mogul, is pushing backagainst a $77 million s*xual assault lawsuit filed against him, with his legalteam describing the claims as “frivolous” and a blatant attempt to extort moneyfrom him. On December 25, Mario Rodriguez, who appeared with Perry in2016’s ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween,’ sued the billionaire filmmaker for allegeds*xual battery and assault. He claimed the filmmaker subjected him to unwanted s*xual advances on multiple occasions between 2014 and 2019. Perry’s attorneys, including high-profile lawyer Alex Spiro,however, filed a formal response on February 27 in Los Angeles county superiorcourt denying allegations made by Rodriguez. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Perry, whowrote, directed and starred in the film in which Rodriguez has “a very minorrole”, said the allegations outlined in the lawsuit “have no basis in fact orlaw and no merit”. In the court filing, Perry’s legal team argued that afterbeing cast in a small role, Rodriguez “repeatedly turned to Perry as hispersonal piggy bank,” allegedly requesting financial assistance for hisapartment, car, unpaid bills, and even medical services. According to the filing, when Perry, 56, stopped providingmoney, Rodriguez resorted to fabricating allegations of a nonconsensualrelationship to “ignite a media firestorm” and secure a financial payout. In June 2025, Derek Dixon, another film star, sued Perry for$260 million over alleged s*xual harassment.
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