Tyler Perry sued $260 million for sexual harassment of young actor – Here’s a breakdown of the suit

Tyler Perry is being sued for $260 million over sexual assault by Derek Dixon, who plays the character Dale, in Perry’s show, “The Oval.”

According to the lawsuit filed against the actor and filmmaker on Friday, June 13, 2025, Dixon claimed “a sustained pattern of workplace sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation perpetrated by Tyler Perry” and is suing the filmmaker for alleged quid pro quo sexual harassment, work environment harassment and more.

The lawsuit has alleged that Tyler Perry had promised Dixon “career advancement and creative opportunities,” only to “subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances.”

In the lawsuit, Dixon said he and Tyler Perry met in 2019 while he worked for an event organising company, which had been booked to plan the opening party for Tyler Perry Studios.

According to Dixon, he was assigned a role at the party that “required frequent conversation with Tyler Perry.”

The suit stated that the “Straw” filmmaker and Dixon exchanged phone numbers at the end of the party, and Perry began asking the then-aspiring actor about his goals.

Following that, Tyler Perry cast Dixon in his show, “Ruthless,” and began sending Dixon “strange and untowardly” text messages.

The suit further alleged that on January 2020, Tyler Perry invited Dixon to his home in Douglasville County, Georgia, where they drank alcoholic drinks and had a “friendly” conversation.

Afterwards, he told Dixon not to drive home since he was intoxicated and offered him the guest room in his home. The lawsuit claims Perry sexually assaulted Dixon that night.

According to the lawsuit, Dixon tried to ignore Perry’s calls and texts after the assault, which became more aggressive “until finally Perry offered Dixon a part in a new show called ‘The Oval.'” To which he agreed.

According to the lawsuit, Dixon “put up” with Perry’s comments due to fear over his role in the show being cut.

“Dixon immediately understood that his job security depended on his ‘relationship’ with Perry,” the lawsuit states. “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.”

According to the suit, Tyler Perry had allegedly threatened to kill off Dixon’s character.

However, tensions allegedly escalated between Dixon and Perry after they filmed the episode where Dixon’s character was shot four times, “indicating a seeming end to his role on the show and his termination from the job.”

Perry had invited Dixon to his trailer for drinks. The lawsuit states that after he asked Dixon if he was attracted to him and other inappropriate questions, Perry allegedly sexually assaulted Dixon again when he was about to leave the trailer.

“As soon as Derek Dixon left the trailer following Perry’s violent assault, Dixon became severely nauseous and extremely anxious about his job, career and livelihood,” the lawsuit states.

Another incident took place on Perry’s private island in the Bahamas, where the cast was having a party, the lawsuit alleges.

By December 2020, Dixon began “feeling depleted” due to Perry’s “continued pattern of sexual harassment,” according to the lawsuit. “The assaults and harassment began manifesting in his physical health and Mr. Dixon had no one to turn to.”

The complaint alleges that as the sexual harassment continued through the beginning of 2021, Dixon was prescribed an antidepressant for the stress he began experiencing.

In June 2021, Dixon claimed he was invited by Perry to his house again to discuss the pilot for Dixon’s show, “Losing It.” At the meeting, Dixon alleges he was sexually assaulted again.

Dixon decided to move to Santa Monica, California, “to put some distance between himself and Perry.”

But the lawsuit states that the “quid pro quo harassment and attempts to cover up the sexual assault by promising a show continued.”

After promising to produce Dixon’s show multiple times, Dixon realised in 2024 that Perry was doing so to prevent Dixon “from exposing the dark side of Tyler Perry,” the suit claims.

When reached for comment, attorneys for Dixon told ABC, “At this point Mr. Dixon has no comment. We believe the complaint speaks for itself.”

In response to the lawsuit, Matthew Boyd, an attorney for Perry and TPS Production Services, LLC, said, “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”.

Below is a link to the Lawsuit

https://drive.google.com/file/d/182TF_ooDvFUrpCBM0-sEP_l31PYR–rl/view

Source: Ghanaweb