Actor Derek Dixon has filed a $260m (£194m) lawsuit in Los Angeles, accusing filmmaker and TV producer, Tyler Perry, of sexually assaulting him while working on Perry’s shows, The Oval and Ruthless.
In the suit, Dixon alleges that Perry used his power in the entertainment industry to create a “coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic.”
He claims Perry promised him a thriving acting career but instead subjected him to “escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation” after he rejected Perry’s “unwanted advances.”
Perry’s attorney has strongly denied the accusations, dismissing the case as a “scam” designed to extort money.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” lawyer Matthew Boyd told the BBC.
“But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
