Rodriguez alleges that while working as a trainer at Equinox in 2014, Perry approached him and eventually offered him a role in Boo! A Madea Halloween. After accepting the part, Rodriguez alleges that Perry invited him to his home for a night of drinks in his private movie theater. It was there that Rodriguez says that Perry “put his hands on Mr. Rodiguez’s legs and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis,” the lawsuit states (via THR). Rodriguez claims that Perry told him “Man if you would just come, I would take care of your [sic] for the rest of your life and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything” after Rodriguez had already tried to excuse himself. The lawsuit details other similar instances in 2016, 2018, and 2019. In the latter two instances, Rodriguez claims that Perry grabbed his penis and then gave him $5,000 on both occasions after the advances were rejected.
“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, an attorney for Perry, said in a statement to THR.
Earlier this year, Perry faced a similar lawsuit from the actor Derek Dixon, who appeared in Perry’s BET series The Oval. THR reports that that lawsuit has been moved from California, where it was filed, to a federal court in Georgia. In June, Dixon sued Perry and Tyler Perry Studios for $260 million.
