Tyler Perry is facing a $260 million lawsuit filed by actor Derek Dixon, who accuses the media mogul of sexual assault, harassment, and workplace retaliation.
According to court documents, Dixon claims Perry promised to help advance his acting career, “only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault, and battery.” The lawsuit states, “Mr. Perry sought the one thing his wealth and influence could not purchase—a sexual relationship with a man who would remain silent.”
Dixon alleges the two met in 2019 and exchanged numbers after discussing career opportunities. He claims the text messages from Perry soon took on a sexual tone. In 2020, Dixon says he visited Perry’s home in Douglasville, Georgia, where after a night of drinks, he stayed over and woke up to Perry allegedly touching him “in a highly sexual and suggestive manner.”
Following the incident, Dixon says he distanced himself and stopped responding to Perry’s messages—until he was offered a role on the BET series The Oval. Dixon alleges that while on set, Perry made inappropriate inquiries about his sexuality and expressed interest in a “friends with benefits” arrangement with another man. Fearing for his job, Dixon says he felt pressured to comply with Perry’s advances.
Dixon’s character was killed off after one season, which he interpreted as a test of his loyalty. The suit claims Perry later offered to bring the character back in future seasons if Dixon pursued a personal relationship with him. “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.”
Matthew Boyd, an attorney representing Perry and his production company, TPS Production Services, LLC, dismissed the lawsuit as an attempted shakedown.
“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. “But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Source: Deadline
