Tyler Perry has denied the sexual assault and battery allegations Mario Rodriguez accused him of in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit the model and actor filed in December.
What did Tyler Perry say about the accusations and lawsuit?
Perry described Rodriguez’s $77 million complaint as a money grab, stating that the actor’s claims that Perry made unwanted advances toward Rodriguez were false, and “have no basis in fact or law and no merit,” according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
The court documents also stated that Rodriguez viewed Perry, 56, as his personal financial piggy bank after the multi-hyphenate gave him “a very minor role in a single” film. Rodriguez had a small part in Boo! A Madea Halloween, which was released in 2016, per TMZ.
Perry alleged that Rodriguez used him for financial gain, often asking Perry for money to cover expenses such as his car, apartment, medical services and unpaid bills.
Details on Rodriguez’s money requests and accusations against Perry
Perry said that when he stopped being Rodriguez’s “golden goose,” that’s when the actor made false accusations against him and claimed that the pair had an unconsensual relationship, per TMZ.
Several text messages dating back to August 2025 show Rodriguez asking Perry for financial help, despite Rodriguez stating that he promised not to ask the Madea creator for anything. In one of the texts, Rodriguez was concerned about a medical issue and needed the funds to cover it, TMZ reported.
Rodriguez allegedly sent the texts before later filing the lawsuit in a California court in late December. In the court documents, he claimed that Perry groped him several times at the producer’s Los Angeles home, Blavity reported.
The suit states that Rodriguez met Perry in 2014 after a gym trainer said that Perry wanted his number to discuss an acting role. After accepting the movie role, Rodriguez claimed that he had gone to Perry’s home on several occasions, with Perry touching parts of his body, including his penis.
The post Tyler Perry Slams Sexual Assault Allegations Listed In $77M Lawsuit From Mario Rodriguez: ‘No Merit’ appeared first on Blavity.
