Tyler Perry has responded to the $77 million sexual assault lawsuit against him by suggesting that it’s a shakedown.
Last Friday (February 27), Perry’s legal team (including Jay-Z’s favorite lawyer Alex Spiro) filed an answer to the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court. The document, viewed by Complex, said that actor Mario Rodriguez’s claims that Perry made unwanted advances toward him “have no basis in fact and law and no merit.”
Perry alleges that Rodriguez begged for financial assistance on multiple occasions after he gave the actor “a very minor role in a single film.” According to Perry, Mario requested financial help for his apartment, car, unpaid bills, and medical services. Then, when Perry stopped giving him money, Rodriguez started making up lies about their relationship.
Perry wants Rodiguez’s complaint dismissed and for the actor to not be awarded anything.
Perry was sued by Rodriguez last Christmas. Rodriguez alleged that he was subjected to unwanted sexual advances on multiple instances. In his complaint, the actor alleged that the two had encounters between 2014 and 2019, and that he cut off Perry that year.
At the time, Alex Spiro said of the lawsuit, “I said it before and I will say it again. This is nothing but a $77 million money grab scam.”
Soon after when friendly texts between the two were made public, Rodriguez said that the messages don’t contradict his claims.
“I want to briefly respond to what’s being said about me right now. People are pointing to messages where I was polite, grateful, or vulnerable—and trying to use that to discredit me," said Rodriguez. "When someone has influence over your career, your income, your future, you don't feel free. Survivors often stay cordial. They often ask for help when they feel desperate. That does not mean abuse didn't happen.”