Inside Tyler Perry’s $260M Sexual Harassment Suit: The Devil’s in the Details
Look, it pains me to be the bearer of more Hollywood drama, but Tyler Perry is drowning in a $260 million lawsuit alleging a jaw-dropping pattern of sexual harassment and assault—and yes, it’s as messy as it sounds. Actor Derek Dixon, known for bit parts on BET’s Ruthless and a recurring role on The Oval, hauled the heavyweight filmmaker into the Superior Court of California on June 13, claiming Perry leveraged his “considerable influence in the entertainment industry” to force a quid pro quo compromise on Dixon’s career.
According to court documents obtained by E! News and corroborated by People, Dixon first crossed paths with Perry in September 2019 at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta—apparently while Dixon was working as a server. After swapping numbers, Dixon says Perry flooded his phone with sexually charged texts, dangling a small role on Ruthless like a carrot, only to pivot into all-too-personal questions about Dixon’s sexuality once he had him in his orbit.
It gets worse. The lawsuit alleges Perry’s behavior escalated from suggestive texts to physical groping. Dixon recounts an uncomfortable encounter in October 2020 during a cast getaway to the Bahamas, then another in June 2021 at Perry’s Georgia home while they discussed a potential pilot. The kicker? Dixon says the first outright assault happened in January 2020—Perry supposedly slipped into his bed after a night of drinking and crossed every professional boundary in the book.
When Dixon started ignoring Perry’s advances, per the complaint, he was suddenly offered a part on The Oval—proof, in Dixon’s eyes, that Perry’s threats and promises really were two sides of the same coin. Unable to stomach the ongoing pressure, Dixon “had to quit” the latest season of The Oval, walking away from both his job and, he claims, his mental health. His lawsuit details an avalanche of consequences: physical sickness, anxiety, PTSD, reputational damage, you name it.
Not surprisingly, Perry’s camp is calling foul. Attorney Matthew Boyd told People these allegations amount to “nothing more than setting up a scam,” insisting that Perry “will not be shaken down” by fabricated claims. No word yet from Perry himself, but showbiz watchers will be tuning in for every twist.
So here we are, another day, another lawsuit, and a whole lot of “he-said, he-said” in Tinseltown. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, People Magazine
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
