Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673.
(NewsNation) — Filmmaker and television star Tyler Perry has denied accusations he sexually assaulted an actor who worked on two of his shows, according to the BBC.
Derek Dixon, who worked on “The Oval” and “Ruthless,” accused Perry of using his influence in the entertainment industry to create a “coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic.”
He said Perry promised him a successful acting career, but then subjected him to “escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation” when he didn’t reciprocate Perry’s “unwanted advances.”
Dixon is seeking at least $260 million in damages.
Tyler Perry sexually assaulted Derek Dixon: Lawsuit
In the lawsuit, Dixon said he met Perry in 2019 at a work event for Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, and the pair talked over several months about an acting career. Perry offered Dixon a role in his show “Ruthless,” and another role later in “The Oval.”
The lawsuit acknowledged several incidents in which Perry allegedly sexually assaulted Dixon. Dixon accused Perry in 2020 of interrogating him over his sexual interests in a trailer on the set of “The Oval” before pinning him to a wall and fondling him. Dixon said he refused the advance and left the trailer.
To end the harassment, Dixon said he elected to leave his role on “The Oval” and declined a job from Perry to work as a writer.
Derek Dixon accusations a scam for money: Tyler Perry’s lawyer
Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, denied the claims and said Dixon’s lawsuit was an attempt to make money.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” he said in a statement. “But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
In 2024, Dixon filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and when that didn’t result in any action from the show’s producers, he quit.
Who is Derek Dixon, accuser of Tyler Perry?
Dixon is an actor and playwright, and worked for Perry in 2019 and 2020.
He has an extensive background in theater. He studied at Marymount Manhattan College and trained at The Terry Schreiber Studio in New York.
Dixon appeared in 85 episodes of “The Oval.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.