Actor Mario Rodriguez has filed a lawsuit against Tyler Perry alleging sexual assault, sexual battery, and emotional distress. The complaint, lodged on December 25, 2025, in California state court, seeks at least $77 million in damages from Perry and Lionsgate. Rodriguez appeared as “Frat Guy No. 10” in Perry’s 2016 film Boo! A Madea Halloween.
This marks the second such Tyler Perry sexual assault lawsuit this year, following actor Derek Dixon’s earlier claims of harassment on sets like The Oval and Ruthless.
Allegations in Mario Rodriguez Tyler Perry Lawsuit
Rodriguez claims the incidents began in 2014 when a gym trainer at an Equinox in Los Angeles gave Perry his contact details for a potential acting role. After casting in the Madea film, Perry allegedly invited him to his Los Angeles home, where he touched Rodriguez inappropriately during a movie viewing.
Further Tyler Perry sexual assault lawsuit details include 2016, 2018, and 2019 encounters: Perry allegedly tried to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants, placed the actor’s hand on his genitals, and promised lifelong care if he complied sexually. Rodriguez states Perry gave him $5,000 multiple times after these alleged assaults as hush money.
Perry’s Response and Legal Context
Tyler Perry’s legal team has dismissed the Tyler Perry sexual assault lawsuit as a “money grab,” calling it doomed like the prior Dixon case. The suit accuses Lionsgate of ignoring Perry’s alleged pattern of leveraging Hollywood power for sexual favors. No court response from Perry appears yet in public records.
Dixon’s June 2025 filing sought up to $260 million, detailing groping and coercion at Perry’s Georgia home, evoking broader #MeToo reckonings in entertainment.