Actor Derek Dixon has filed a $260 million lawsuit against filmmaker Tyler Perry, alleging sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation. The complaint, filed last Friday, in Los Angeles and obtained by PEOPLE, accuses Perry of fostering "a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic" during Dixon's time on Perry's series The Oval and Ruthless, where Dixon played the character Dale.
The lawsuit claims Perry "initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, 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."
Responding to Dixon's allegations, Perry’s 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. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail."
Dixon states he first met Perry back in September 2019 at the inauguration bash of Tyler Perry Studios situated in Atlanta. Over the subsequent few months, Dixon alleges Perry frequently texted him, occasionally with sexually suggestive advances, while expressing a desire to help him professionally. In November that year, Dixon claims Perry presented him with a cameo in Ruthless.
The complaint further details an alleged sexual assault by Perry at his home in January 2020. The following month, Perry reportedly provided Dixon with a series regular role in The Oval.
Dixon claims that upon reviewing the screenplay for The Oval season 1, he noticed the fate of his character remained uncertain in the final episode. The complaint alleges, "Mr Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendos, Dixon's character would 'die' in the next season. Indeed, Dixon's character 'Dale' was shot four times in the chest at the end of his first season on The Oval, and Perry always held this over Mr. Dixon's head, implying that Dale would survive if Dixon kept Perry 'happy.'"
Dixon recounts an instance after a fictional shooting scene, when Perry allegedly called him over to his trailer, pinned him to the wall, and began "aggressively groping Dixon's buttocks in a sexual motion." The complaint states the actor experienced similar groping during a Bahamas trip in October 2020. In December that year, Dixon alleges he saw a physician for treatment "who indicated that Dixon's exhibited severe symptoms of acute stress, insomnia, stomach issues, and dangerously low cortisol levels due to the sexual harassment and assault" and wrote a Zoloft prescription for depression. Dixon claims Perry asked him to come to his residence again in June 2021 to talk about Dixon's first episode for the series Losing It, with Perry attached as a prospective producer. At this meeting, Dixon alleges Perry sexually assaulted him again.
Over the subsequent five months, Dixon states he "suffered from severe depression, anxiety, stomach pains, and nausea" and later received a diagnosis of PTSD. Dixon further claims that Perry's "fixers" provided him with a higher pay to come back to The Oval and that Perry would purchase the rights to produce Losing It.
In January 2023, Dixon told Perry he was relocating to California in order to create some space between them. While the actor continued his role in The Oval, he departed during the show's finale, a move he claims cost him nearly $400,000.
As per the complaint, Dixon is litigating Perry for quid pro quo sexual harassment, sexual battery, sexual assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, retaliation, and other charges. Dixon has asked for a jury trial and is seeking $260 million in damages.