Leadnaija
Acclaimed filmmaker and media mogul Tyler Perry has been hit with serious allegations of sexual assault, battery, workplace harassment, quid pro quo, and professional retaliation by Derek Dixon, an actor who played the character Dale in Perry’s BET political drama The Oval and its spinoff Ruthless.
The lawsuit was filed on June 13 in Los Angeles Superior Court, and details accusations that Perry used his influence to coerce and manipulate Dixon under the guise of career advancement, according to legal documents obtained by The Independent.
In the complaint, Dixon claims Perry, 55, exploited his “success and power” in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic during the time Dixon was employed on The Oval.
The actor alleges that Perry initially promised him creative opportunities, including producing a pilot he had written and casting him in projects, but these offers eventually gave way to escalating sexual harassment, unwanted advances, and eventual professional retaliation.
One of the earliest alleged incidents took place in 2020, when Perry reportedly climbed into bed with Dixon after a night of drinking.
Another time, Perry allegedly groped Dixon’s buttocks inside his trailer on The Oval set.
According to the filing, Dixon and Perry first met in September 2019, when Dixon was working for an event company involved in organizing the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. After their meeting, Perry allegedly began texting Dixon, alternating between professional promises and sexual advances.
Screenshots submitted in court reportedly show Perry responding to Dixon’s rejection of sexual propositions by writing:
“I would hope that you would let someone hold you and make love to you. You are missing the best years of your life my friend. Trust me. I hope you get past that block in your mind soon.”
Dixon claims that after he was offered a role on The Oval, he left his event job. From that point on, Perry’s advances allegedly became more aggressive. On one occasion, Perry is said to have asked Dixon whether he is a “top or bottom,” before stating that he himself is a “top” and describing graphic sexual scenarios, allegedly saying:
“When you have a big dick and when you hit the G-spot right on these bottoms, they go crazy.”
Fearing for his job, Dixon says he tried to deflect Perry’s advances without being confrontational. Still, he claims Perry responded with retaliatory behavior, including writing his character out of the show in a vague storyline where the character is shot multiple times, with no confirmation of survival —a move Dixon saw as a threat to comply or be written off entirely.
The lawsuit further alleges that Perry pressured Dixon to keep their interactions secret, sending messages such as:
“Listen to me. If you let the cast know that you and I have a new friendship then you are opening yourself up to a lot of questions and foolishness. You want them to KNOW that you are there because of your talent and not because we have a friendship.”
Perry allegedly bought the rights to a show Dixon had written, titled Losing It, and expressed interest in producing it.
Dixon believes this was done to deepen his dependence on Perry and maintain control over his career.
The most serious accusation involves an alleged incident of sexual assault in 2021, while Dixon was staying in Perry’s guest house.
Dixon says he feared being raped and slept inside a locked bathroom to protect himself. Days later, Perry allegedly called him to apologize, blaming his behavior on testosterone supplements, and again offered to produce Losing It — a project he never followed through on.
Through his attorney Matthew Boyd, Perry has denied the allegations. In a statement shared with The Independent, Boyd 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.”
Dixon states that the series of events left him with severe psychological and physical consequences, including depression, anxiety, stomach pains, nausea, and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He is now suing Perry for $260 million in damages, in addition to legal fees.
As of now, Tyler Perry Studios has not issued an official statement, and no criminal charges have been filed. The case remains under civil litigation.
