Tyler Perry Faces $260 Million Lawsuit Over Alleged Harassment and Abuse

Filmmaker Tyler Perry, known for hits like Acrimony and the Madea franchise, is now facing a $260 million sexual assault lawsuit following allegations from actor Derek Dixon, who played Dale on Perry’s BET drama The Oval.

In an on-camera interview with ABC News on September 9, 2025, Dixon described a workplace environment he said blurred professional boundaries and left him fearful for his career.

He alleged that Perry pulled down his underwear and grabbed his buttocks at the producer’s Atlanta residence. Dixon said, “I was under constant stress, scared I’d lose my job or be killed off the show if I didn’t comply.”

Explaining the large sum in damages, Dixon noted that the lawsuit accounts for personal losses and serves as a deterrent. “Part of that number is my lost job, my lost income, the loss of a show. The other part of that is a deterrent for how do you stop a billionaire who won’t stop themselves from doing this,” he said.

Dixon also claimed Perry failed to produce a pilot he had written, which Perry allegedly still controls. Despite the risks, Dixon said he chose to speak out “to protect future generations of actors and creatives,” adding, “Never exploit someone’s aspirations to coerce them into a relationship. That’s unprofessional.”

Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, dismissed the allegations as a scam. “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be an elaborate scam. But Tyler will not be coerced, and we are confident that these unfounded harassment claims will not succeed,” Boyd said.

Dixon joined Perry’s productions in 2020 and filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January 2024, leaving The Oval later that year. His lawsuit, filed in June 2025, has intensified conversations about harassment and power dynamics in Hollywood.

So far, Dixon is the only publicly identified accuser, and Perry continues to deny all allegations.