For those unaware, Tyler Perry, one of the first people to lend Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry a place to stay during their intial touch down in LA, has been accused of sexual assault.
The lawsuit demands over $260 million from the star, and has been filed by an actor named Derek Dixon.
The two have worked together previously on Perry’s show, The Oval.
The Allegation:
The allegation claims there was “a sustained pattern of workplace sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation perpetrated by Tyler Perry” where quid pro quo sexual advances were sought.
He also accused the star of promising him “career advancement and creative opportunities,” but that saw Perry allegedly “subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances.”
Tyler Perry, Derek Dixon’s History & Timeline of Assault:
2019:
The duo met sometimes around 2019, via an event planning company that Perry hired for the opening party of Tyle Perry Studios.
Dixon’s role at the time involved frequent and direct communication with the star, leading them to exchange phone numbers, as well as conversations about ‘goals’ in life.
Eventually Dixon claims he was cast on Perry’s show Ruthless but that was where the “strange and untowardly” messages started.
2020:
Fast forward to 2020, in January Dixon claimed he was called over to Perry’s house in Douglasville County, Georgia, and alcoholic beverages were served amid ‘friendly’ conversation.
It was that night that Dixon claimed the assault happened because he was too drunk to leave, and Perry offered him a place in his guest room to sleep for the night.
In the days that followed, Dixon admits he avoided Perry’s calls, which turned more and more ‘aggressive’ according to Good Morning America (GMA) “until finally Perry offered Dixon a part in a new show called “The Oval.”
“Dixon immediately understood that his job security depended on his ‘relationship’ with Perry,” its stated in the lawsuit.
Thus “from this point on, Dixon worked with the constant fear of losing his job if he did not engage with and endure Perry’s sexual harassment.”
After an episode came that had his character get shot four times, “indicating a seeming end to his role on the show and his termination from the job” according to the suit. He was called into Perry’s trailer, and subjected to an assault once more.
“As soon as Derek Dixon left the trailer following Perry’s violent assault, Dixon became severely nauseous and extremely anxious about his job, careers and livelihood.”
But that wasn’t the only incident mentioned in the suit, reportedly another such encounter happened on Perry’s private island in the Bahamas, during a cast party.
By 2020 Dixon claims he had started “feeling depleted” as a result of the “continued pattern of sexual harassment.”
“The assaults and harassment began manifesting in his physical health and Mr. Dixon had no one to turn to.”
2021:
After that came June 2021, where Perry again called Dixon over to his house for the pilot of his show Losing it, and an assault allegedly happened that time as well
2023:
By 2023 Dixon admits in the suit that he had “put some distance between himself and Perry
But the “quid pro quo harassment and attempts to cover up the sexual assault by promising a show continued.”
2024:
By 2024 he claims he ‘understood’ Perry’s reasons for this, as it was simply to stop Dixon “from exposing the dark side of Tyler Perry.”
Tyler Perry’s Response To The Allegations:
Perry has since responded to the suit as well, and its come via his attorney Matthew Boyd.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” the lawyer claimed. “But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
