Alleged victim felt "scared" and "ashamed."
Tyler Perry is facing a $77 million lawsuit after allegedly committing sexual assault against a co-star from his film, Boo! A Madea Halloween. Perry is best known for creating and starring in his famed Madea character's media franchise, but he did have a small role as Admiral Richard Barnett in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009). Perry’s alleged victim is Mario Rodriguez, who portrayed the part of a background frat guy in the 2016 horror comedy.
Rodriguez is claiming that Perry assaulted him on more than one occasion. For instance, Perry is accused of having “grabbed his [Rodriguez] penis” (via Variety) during an incident in 2018. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, is a staggering blow for the Hollywood icon. One portion of the complaint even points to an alleged incident between Perry and Rodriguez at the filmmaker's house in 2015, before Boo! A Madea Halloween was released. The lawsuit describes the following allegedly happened in Perry's screening room:
“Mr. Perry then put his hand on Mr. Rodriguez’s leg and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis. Mr. Perry told Mr. Rodriguez, ‘It’s ok,’ while he continued to rub his thigh.”
According to the well-respected trade publication's story, Rodriguez "is suing for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress." The Boo! A Madea Halloween bit player is also bringing a lawsuit against the film's distributor, Lionsgate. (Continued...)