"The Oval" actor sued Tyler Perry for sexual assault
The director and producer is facing sexual harassment allegations from actor Derek Dixon, who appeared in his series The Oval and Ruthless.
Director, actor, and producer Emmit Perry Jr., also known as Tyler Perry, is being accused of sexual harassment and assault by Derek Dixon, an actor who was directed by Perry during the time they were filming The Oval and Ruthless, two TV shows that the mogul directed and produced.
Dixon said that, since 2021, Perry has made sexual advances on him without consent. He also stated in his declaration that in one instance his clothes were forcibly pulled off and another in which the director crept into a bed with him, allegedly. The actor also accuses Perry of exploiting male actors in his productions.
Tyler Perry's response
Matthew Boyd, Perry's lawyer, responded to the lawsuit, saying his representative is being scammed by Dixon. He described the actor as an "individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting him up. Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail,” the lawyer added.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and said that Perry has "has been using his power and influence to molest, abuse, and sexually assault impressionable and vulnerable employees and actors who look to him for guidance and mentorship while pursuing their dreams.”
Dale, Dixon's character, was a gay store worker who was shot at the end of the first season of Ruthless. Photo: Tyler Perry's studio
How did Dixon meet Perry?
Dixon also gave details about how he knew Perry. The mogul recruited him in 2019 at a party for an events company in Atlanta, where the producer's studio is. Since that moment, the actor claimed that the producer was harassing him by text messages, including questions about his sexual preferences. Then, in 2020, the bed incident occurred, and in 2021, the assault while they were filming the show, according to Dixon's declaration.
Derek Dixon is an actor who played Dale in The Oval and its spin-off series Ruthless. Dale was a homeless gay store worker whose first appearance was on the spin-off and then moved to the main show. According to the actor, he tolerated the harassment out of fear that Dale would be cut off from the franchise.
