A model who said she was recruited by film and television producer Tyler Perry for film roles has alleged in a California civil lawsuit that Perry used his position to “abuse and sexually harass” her.
Model Mario Rodriguez’s lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles state court on Monday, seeks $77 million in damages. It alleges that Rodriguez was the victim of sexual harassment and assault over a period of approximately five years, while she and Perry talked, mostly about Rodriguez’s move into film and TV.
Perry’s attorney, Alex Spiro, called the lawsuit a blow in a statement Friday and said he anticipated it would be “a failed money grab.”
The lawsuit alleges that a trainer at a Los Angeles gym where Rodriguez worked out regularly in 2015 told her that Perry wanted to talk to her about acting work and that when Rodriguez gave the trainer her phone number, Perry called her that same day to recruit her for a role in a project that would become “Boo! A Madea Halloween.”
According to the suit, Perry told Rodriguez he looked at her Instagram account and was impressed by her modeling. When Rodriguez made it clear that he had never acted before, Perry reportedly said, “Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and be with you.”
The two later drank wine at Perry’s house, and Perry rubbed Rodriguez’s shoulders and touched her inner thigh “right next to his penis,” the suit alleges.
The lawsuit alleges that during subsequent meetings in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Perry mentioned future projects that might be suitable for Rodriguez, asked if she had sexual interest in men and touched her legs and penis.
The lawsuit alleges that during a meeting, Perry grabbed Rodriguez’s hand, placed it on his penis and told her, “If you were just with me, I would take care of you, and you would never have to worry about anything.”
The lawsuit alleges that on two occasions when the unwanted contact occurred, Perry paid Rodriguez $5,000. It says that after seeing news of the lawsuit filed against Perry in June, a friend messaged Rodriguez about it and Rodriguez said she decided “it was time to tell my story, get justice, and finally stop Mr. Perry.”
The lawsuit says that when Rodriguez decided to stop talking to Perry, Perry said she should check in via message at least once a month, but otherwise did not give her any work.
In addition to Perry, the lawsuit names his studio’s distributor, Lionsgate, as a defendant.
The lawsuit claims that Lionsgate “failed to act” when Perry was accused of crossing the line with Rodriguez.
But the lawsuit alleges that because of the studio’s “failure to implement and enforce ethics provisions and other safeguards, the sexual assaults would not have occurred because Perry would not have been in a position of power.”
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Rodriguez issued a statement through her attorney on Monday describing Perry as being cordial in text messages, criticizing her for employing him and taking payments from him despite her claims.
Rodriguez said, “Continued financial support and access are not inconsistent with abuse – they are often part of the power dynamics that follow it.” “In many situations involving abuse, money can serve as a way to manage guilt, avoid conflict, or maintain silence. The existence of financial support does not negate harm. It is entirely consistent with the complex realities that survivors face after abuse.”
Perry’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Rodriguez’s statement.
Rodriguez’s lawsuit follows a lawsuit filed in June that accused Perry of using his position to pursue plaintiff Derek Dixon and touching him inappropriately in exchange for career opportunities. In that filing, Dixon alleged that Perry recruited her for an acting role in 2019 before “groping” her on multiple occasions and reminding her that her continued employment depended on doing “good work.”
Responding to the initial filing of that lawsuit in California, a lawyer for Perry said in a statement, “Tyler will not be disappointed and we are confident that these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
That lawsuit, seeking $260 million in damages, was taken to federal court in the Northern District of Georgia, where Perry operates his film, TV and streaming studios and where he has a home, where the lawsuit alleges he served the plaintiff drinks and groped her.
