Tyler Perry Slapped with Second Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Media Mogul Tyler Perry has been slapped with a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and seeking $77 million in damages.

In the complaint filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, aspiring actor Mario Rodriguez, who appeared in Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween, accuses Perry of multiple instances of sexual assault. The lawsuit also includes a claim against Lionsgate, which distributed the film and allegedly ignored the potential misconduct.

The alleged sexual assault and battery occurred in Perry’s LA home, according to the complaint.

It alleges that after Rodriguez was offered his role in Boo!, Perry and Rodriguez shared drinks before going to Perry’s theatre to watch a movie. There, Perry allegedly “put his hands on Mr. Rodriguez’s legs and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis.”

The lawsuit claims Rodriguez tried to leave for the bathroom, but Perry insisted, “Man, if you would just come, I would take care of you for the rest of your life and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Perry’s lawyer Alex Spiro vehemently denied the allegations put forth by Rodriguez.

“Having recently failed in another matter against Mr. Perry, the very same lawyer has now made yet another demand from more than a decade ago which will also be a failed money grab,” Spiro said.

This marks the second complaint against Perry this year.

In June, aspiring actor Derek Dixon, who appeared in Perry’s show The Oval and Ruthless, sued Perry for using his power in the industry to sexually exploit him. Dixon alleges Perry groped his buttocks and repeatedly made sexual propositions. He is seeking $260 million in punitive damages.

Rodriguez and Perry share the same lawyer, mentioned by Spiro, Jonathan Delshad. Dixon’s case has moved to federal court in Georgia, where Perry is based, but has seen little movement. Spiro said Perry has not yet been served in this latest lawsuit.

Perry has been open about the sexual abuse and assault he experienced as a child. He first opened up to Oprah Winfrey in 2010, revealing he had been sexually assaulted by three men and woman before the age of ten.

“I knew I liked the little girls in the neighborhood, but this man was doing something to me and my body kept betraying me,” he told Winfrey. “It took me all of my 20s to figure out what this was that this man had given me to carry inside of my heterosexuality that did not belong to me. This is why so many men will not talk about this—the shame of having to admit that. And there is no textbook definition for what molestation does to someone. Each individual is different.”

Fox News had a brief story on the latest allegations against Perry on Saturday. Watch above.