NEWSTyler Perry Slapped With $77 Million Sexual Assault Lawsuit by 'Boo! A Madea Halloween' Actor Who Claims Director 'Grabbed' His Private Part
Tyler Perry has been hit with a brand new lawsuit.
Dec. 27 2025, Updated 11:24 a.m. ET
Tyler Perry has been hit with another sexual assault lawsuit by one his former employees.
The acclaimed director, 56, is being sued by Mario Rodriguez, an actor who worked on his 2016 horror comedy flick, Boo! A Madea Halloween, for $77 million.
Tyler Perry Is Being Sued for $77 Million
The filmmaker's lawyer denied all accusations against him.
Rodriguez claims there were multiple situations of assault across several years at Perry's Los Angeles abode, including one time in 2018 in which the Madea creator “tightly hugged” him and “grabbed his p----.”
Perry's hotshot lawyer Alex Spiro, who has repped entertainment moguls such as Jay-Z and Alec Baldwin, denied the allegations.
“Having recently failed in another matter against Mr. Perry, the very same lawyer has now made yet another demand from more than a decade ago which will also be a failed money grab,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement.
The Director Was Previously Hit With Another Complaint in June
Actor Derek Dixon also brought forward a suit against Tyler Perry.
Rodriguez's full lawsuit includes allegations of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
He also brought forward a claim against Boo! A Madea Halloween's distributor, Lionsgate. He believed that the production company did nothing to stop the misconduct.
The docs noted that an Equinox trainer in Los Angeles went up to Rodriguez while he was exercising back in 2014. The gym trainer told him that Perry wanted his number to discuss an acting gig with him.
When Rodriguez and the playwright were chatting, the latter asked him to audition for the role of an attractive college student for Boo! A Madea Halloween.
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Tyler Perry allegedly put his hands on Mario Rodriguez's legs.
“You know Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” Perry apparently said.
Rodriguez claimed that when he went to Perry's home, he allegedly “put his hands on Mr. Rodriguez’s legs and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his p----,” according to the docs.
When Rodriguez tried to go to the bathroom, Perry wouldn't let up and said: “Man if you would just come, I would take care of your for the rest of your life and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I know you’ll come around.”
Attorney Jonathan Delshad is representing both of Tyler Perry's accusers.
Derek Dixon, who appeared in Perry's TV series The Oval, also accused the filmmaker of assault. He sued Perry this past June, alleging that Perry groped him during once instance.
Jonathan Delshad, who is representing both Rodriguez and Dixon in their lawsuits against Perry, wrote more about the alleged assault in the complaint.
“Mr. Perry reached into Mr. Rodriguez’s underwear and grabbed his p----. Mr. Perry was making sexual moaning noises and saying, ‘Stay here, stay here,’ while he pressed his body against Mr. Rodriguez and continued to grab his p----," Delshad wrote.
According to the complaint, once Rodriguez was able to free himself from the actor's tight grasp, Perry apologized and offered him $5,000.
