[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment by an actor on one of his own shows — and the man is suing the powerful producer for more than a quarter of a billion (!) dollars.
Derek Dixon (pictured above, left) is an actor who plays Dale on Perry’s BET series The Oval. And he just filed a lawsuit against Perry in which he accuses the movie producer of making unwanted sexual advances. In turn, Dixon is suing the Madea creator for a whopping $260 million!!!
Related: Dang! Tyler Perry Awkwardly Confronts Jimmy Kimmel Over Party Snub!
According to court docs seen by TMZ and Page Six, Dixon claims he first met Perry after being picked out of a crowd at an event in 2019. Then, upon being cast in The Oval, Perry allegedly began sending Dixon sexual messages, including asking about the actor’s sexual preferences, and supposed claims from the producer that he has sex with men. Dixon stated his role was “written as a gay, homeless, and desperate store clerk” who was forced to “sleep with one of the other characters for a place to stay” because that was what Perry was allegedly looking for in a real-life partner.
The legal filing alleges Dixon drank too much on a January 2020 night in question and went to sleep in one of Perry’s guest rooms. But at one point, the producer allegedly got into bed with the actor and touched his thighs. Dixon claims he rejected those advances, and things apparently ended for the night.
But then Dixon claimed he again visited Perry’s home later in 2020, worried that the producer would kill off his character in The Oval if he didn’t show up! During that interaction, Perry allegedly began a sexual conversation, then grabbed Dixon by the throat and exclaimed:
“Wow! Look how excited you just got!”
Dixon said he deescalated the situation in the moment, but was scared he’d lose his job and his career would suffer if he outright rejected Perry or complained about sexual harassment.
In turn, the lawsuit cites what it claims are years of sexually charged texts Perry sent to the actor, including one that read in part:
“I would f**k you.”
Dixon also alleges that in a 2021 incident, Perry pulled down his underwear and groped his butt after asking for a “good night” hug. Rather than arguing, he complied. According to the suit via New York Post:
“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. Dixon started to tell Perry that he ‘did not want [his] underwear down,’ that Dixon ‘didn’t want to be naked,’ and that Dixon ‘didn’t want this,’ Dixon quickly reached to pull his underwear back up. As soon as he did, Perry grabbed Dixon’s reaching arm with a tight grip and held fast.”
As maintained by the court documents, Dixon was ultimately able to distract Perry and change the subject to stop the alleged assault.
Like we noted up top, Dixon is seeking $260 million in damages. His lawsuit alleges quid pro quo, workplace sexual harassment, sexual assault, and battery along with the emotional distress allegedly suffered from the ordeal.
The powerful producer’s legal team has already come out swinging, though. In a statement obtained by Page Six, Perry’s lawyer Matthew Boyd called Dixon’s lawsuit a “scam” and said his A-list client was being shaken down for money:
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam, but Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Wow.
Perry writes, directs, and executive produces The Oval, which is a political drama that’s been running on BET since 2019. It has also birthed its own spinoff series, Ruthless, on BET+.
Reactions, Perezcious readers?
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via MEGA/WENN/Derek Dixon/Instagram]
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