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.