Entertainer Tyler Perry hit with another sexual misconduct lawsuit

Hollywood actor and director Tyler Perry has been hit with a new sexual assault lawsuit from an actor who appeared in his 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween, marking the second such legal challenge the director has faced this year. Actor Mario Rodriguez, who had a minor role in the comedy, filed the complaint this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Perry subjected him to multiple unwanted sexual advances over several years, including alleged incidents that took place at Perry’s Los Angeles home. Rodriguez is seeking at least $77 million in damages for sexual assault, sexual battery, and emotional distress.
According to the lawsuit, Rodriguez first crossed paths with Perry in 2014 after a trainer at a Los Angeles gym shared his contact information with the filmmaker. Perry encouraged him to audition for the film, allegedly telling him he’d be “a good person to know” in the industry. 
Perry’s lawyer disputed the allegations and called the new lawsuit a “failed money grab.”
Once Rodriguez was cast, the complaint claims, Perry invited him to his home under the guise of career discussions and then made unwanted physical contact, including alleged inappropriate touching while they watched a movie, according to Decider.
The suit recounts other alleged encounters in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
Rodriguez said he broke off the relationship in 2019 but decided to take legal action after reading about a separate lawsuit filed earlier this year against Perry by actor Derek Dixon, accusing Perry of sexual misconduct during work on the BET series The Oval.

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