A Model Who Appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween Is Seeking $77 Million in Damages
Tyler Perry is facing a new sexual assault lawsuit from an aspiring actor, marking the second such case brought against the filmmaker this year and one his legal team has dismissed outright as a “failed money grab.”
The lawsuit was filed by Mario Rodriguez, a model who appeared briefly in Perry’s 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween. Rodriguez is seeking $77 million in damages, alleging that what began as professional opportunities ultimately escalated into unwanted sexual advances.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez says his connection to Tyler Perry began in 2015 after a personal trainer at a Los Angeles gym told him the filmmaker wanted to meet. Perry later contacted him by phone, the filing states, and offered him a small role in the film, where Rodriguez appeared as “Frat Guy #10.”
The lawsuit describes multiple occasions in which Perry allegedly invited Rodriguez to his home under the pretense of discussing future acting opportunities. Rodriguez claims those meetings involved drinking and led to unwanted sexual advances.
One incident outlined in the complaint allegedly took place in November 2018. Rodriguez says Perry grabbed his genitals despite repeated objections, forcing him into a physical struggle to get away. The filing claims Perry told him to “let it happen” and suggested that being with him would ensure he was “taken care of.”
After two encounters, the lawsuit alleges Perry apologized, gave Rodriguez $5,000, and sent him away.
A final encounter in April 2019 is described as a breaking point. According to the complaint, it became clear to Rodriguez that Perry would “do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, to whomever he wanted,” regardless of rejection. The lawsuit also claims Perry continued to reach out to Rodriguez intermittently through 2024.
When Perry allegedly learned that Rodriguez planned to pursue legal action, the filing says he contacted him again by text, telling Rodriguez that he had done a great deal to help him and that he felt betrayed.
Rodriguez is represented by attorney Jonathan J. Delshad, who also represents Derek Dixon, another actor who filed a separate lawsuit against Perry earlier this year. Dixon, who appeared on Perry’s television series The Oval, is seeking $260 million in damages in a case alleging sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation. Perry has denied those claims as well.
In a statement issued December 26, Perry’s attorney Alex Spiro rejected the new lawsuit, calling it “yet another demand from more than a decade ago” and predicting it would fail. Spiro pointed to Delshad’s involvement, noting that the same lawyer had recently pursued another case against Perry.
Delshad disputed that characterization, saying Dixon’s claims remain active and were transferred from California to Georgia rather than dismissed.
Earlier this month, Rodriguez spoke publicly about his experience in a December 13 Instagram video shared with his nearly one million followers. Without naming Perry, he described feeling “scared and ashamed” and explained why he remained silent for years, referring to a “powerful” director “that everybody knows.”
“I stayed quiet for much too long,” Rodriguez said in the video, adding that speaking up earlier might have prevented harm to others. “But I’m speaking up now.”
Perry has consistently denied wrongdoing in both lawsuits. In September, his attorney Matthew Boyd said Dixon “got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” adding that Perry would not be “shaken down.”
As the new lawsuit moves forward, it adds to an expanding legal battle that places one of entertainment’s most influential figures under renewed scrutiny, with the courts now tasked with determining whether the claims hold or collapse under challenge.
