Tyler Perry is facing a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit from an actor who worked on his shows.
Derek Dixon—who appeared in BET’s Ruthless and The Oval—is suing the director for $260 million, alleging in court documents obtained by E! News that Perry “used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” between the two.
“First, he offers aspiring actors the prospect of career-defining opportunities,” Dixon accused Perry in his lawsuit, which was filed the Superior Court of California June 13. “Then, once they are in his professional orbit, he uses the weight of his influence to ensnare them, positioning their success as contingent on meeting his demands, in a quid pro quo sexual compromise.”
E! News has reached out to Perry’s rep for comment but hasn’t heard back. However, his attorney Matthew Boyd told People in a statement about Dixon’s lawsuit, “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”