A vivid $77 million sexual assault and sexual battery lawsuit against Tyler Perry filed by the same lawyer behind a similar action earlier this year is just more of the same in search of a payout, claims the “betrayed” Madea star’s high-profile attorney.
“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,” Alex Spiro said today of the big-bucks jury-trial-seeking claims from Mario Rodriguez against Perry and “Boo! A Madea Halloween distributor Lionsgate.
Spiro, who has successfully repped Alec Baldwin, Jay-Z and many an A-lister over the years with a slugger’s approach, is certainly putting forth the narrative of how he wants the Jonathan Delshad-represented Rodriguez’s Los Angeles Superior Court case to go down in flames.
There is no denying Rodriguez’s suit is similar in tone and format to the ongoing $260 million sexual harassment and assault suit initially filed in June in LASC by Delshad for his client, The Oval actor Derek Dixon, against Perry. At the same time, there is no denying that Rodriguez’s 23-page complaint filed December 25 is full of potentially damning text message screen grabs, remarks about oral sex and other suggestive conversation from an allegedly predatory Perry. There are also apparent cringey proclamations by the filmmaker like, “You know Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner.”
Focusing on the making of Boo! and a number of subsequent meet-ups — such as a November 14, 2018 Beverly Hills dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse to discuss more potential roles for model Rodriguez that saw a cameo of sorts from John Cena — the complaint is also full of graphic and specific details. “Mr. Perry reached into Mr. Rodriguez’s underwear and grabbed his penis,” the filing exclaims of an alleged assault eight years ago. “Mr. Perry was making sexual moaning noises and saying, ‘Stay here, stay here,’ while he pressed his body against Mr. Rodriguez and continued to grab his penis.”
Capping off that alleged incident, the filing claims Perry “stuffed $5,000.00 in Mr. Rodriguez’s pocket” as the slightly inebriated Rodriguez was waiting for an Uber to take him home from Perry’s house. Other alleged attempts by Perry to offer Rodriguez financial security and on-screen roles for what the plaintiff understands to be sex followed up to 2024.
Claiming “PTSD … psychological, emotional and economic injuries” from Perry’s alleged actions towards him, Rodriguez (who did play a “very good looking college student” in 2016’s Boo!) and lawyer Delshad have hauled Lionsgate into all this.
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