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Home • News

Tyler Perry Sued By Actor Alleging Sexual Assault And Harassment

Perry is facing a lawsuit from actor Derek Dixon, who alleges the media mogul used his industry power to sexually harass and assault him while promising career opportunities.
Tyler Perry Sued By Actor Alleging Sexual Assault And Harassment
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By ESSENCE Staff · Updated June 19, 2025
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Tyler Perry is facing a lawsuit from actor Derek Dixon, who alleges the media mogul used his industry power to sexually harass and assault him while promising career opportunities.

In the lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court and first reported Tuesday, June 18, Perry is accused of creating a “coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” that escalated over time. Dixon, who appeared in 85 episodes of Perry’s BET drama The Oval, is seeking at least $260 million in damages, according to the Associated Press.

According to the complaint, Perry first noticed Dixon in 2019 while the actor was working as event staff at a party and later offered him an audition. Dixon initially landed a small role on Ruthless, another Perry series, before being cast in a larger role on The Oval.

The lawsuit alleges Perry began sending unwanted sexual text messages—several of which are included in the filing—before his behavior escalated to multiple instances of sexual assault. In one incident, Perry allegedly “forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon’s clothing, groped his buttocks and attempted to force himself” on the actor.

“Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry’s sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry’s good side,” the complaint states. It also alleges that Perry threatened to write Dixon’s character off the show if he did not comply with the advances.

The lawsuit claims Perry later gave Dixon a raise and agreed to support a pilot project Dixon was developing—Losing It—as part of an attempt to maintain control and silence him. It alleges Perry had no real intention of helping to produce the project.

Another alleged assault described in the complaint occurred while Dixon was staying in a guest room at Perry’s house. According to the suit, Perry climbed into bed with Dixon and began groping him without consent.

Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, denied the allegations in a statement issued Tuesday. “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Boyd said. “But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”

Dixon later moved from Atlanta, where Perry’s production studio is based, to Los Angeles in an effort to create distance. But according to the lawsuit, “Mr. Perry continued to sexually harass Mr. Dixon.” In 2024, Dixon filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After no action was taken to investigate the claims, the suit says, he resigned from The Oval.

TOPICS:  Tyler Perry