Tyler Perry has been sued for sexual harassment and assault by Derek Dixon, an actor on the Perry-directed series The Oval and Ruthless, on which Dixon played a character named Dale.
According to the lawsuit filed on Friday in Los Angeles, which was obtained by Rolling Stone, Dixon accused Perry of “using his power and influence to molest, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and vulnerable employees and actors who look to him for guidance and mentorship while pursuing their dreams.”
In a statement, Matthew Boyd, an attorney for Perry, called Dixon an “individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam.” He added, “But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
The actor is suing is Perry for $260 million over alleged sexual harassment, assault and retaliation, among other claims of misconduct in the workplace.
The complaint alleged that Perry “provided vulnerable men with acting positions, roles, show contracts, cars, and money,” and that once they were “hooked,” the filmmaker would “put them in fear of losing it all unless they engaged in Mr. Perry’s perverted desire for sexual gratification.”
“Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendos, Dixon’s character would ‘die’ in the next season,” the complaint claimed. “Indeed, Dixon’s character ‘Dale’ was shot four times in the chest at the end of his first season on ‘The Oval,’ and Perry always held this over Mr. Dixon’s head, implying that ‘Dale’ would survive if Dixon kept Perry ‘happy.’”
Perry was accused on multiple occasions of sexually assaulting Dixon, including “one instance where he forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon’s clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon.”
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After the actor allegedly reported the sexual harassment, “Defendants did not make any investigation into the complaint and did not take any steps to prevent further harassment from occurring,” per the complaint. Production companies TPS Production Services and And Action LLC are listed as co-defendants. Dixon further claims that because the defendants “took no action to prevent further assault or harassment,” he was forced to quit the last season of The Oval, resulting in him losing out on around $400,000.
The Oval premiered in 2019 on BET and released its sixth season on Jan. 25. Its spin-off, Ruthless, debuted on BET+ in March 2020. Representatives for BET did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
From Rolling Stone US
