Tyler Perry is pushing back against his sexual assault accuser, Mario Rodriguez, over the release of private text messages exchanged between them amid their ongoing legal dispute.
According to TMZ, Perry claimed in court filings that he provided Rodriguez with their private text conversations as part of the $77 million lawsuit, under the understanding that the messages would remain confidential. However, the exchanges have since become public, prompting Perry to object, particularly because some of the conversations reportedly involve financial arrangements between the two. He argued that Rodriguez had no right to make the messages public and accused him of causing unnecessary damage to his reputation as a successful filmmaker.
Rodriguez filed the lawsuit last year, alleging that Perry made multiple unwanted sexual advances toward him and once “grabbed his penis” during an incident in 2018. Rodriguez, who appeared briefly as “Frat Guy #10” in Boo! A Madea Halloween, said he first met Perry at a gym in 2015 before being offered a minor role in one of his projects. Through his attorney, Alex Spiro, Perry and his company have denied the allegations.
“Having recently failed in another matter against Mr. Perry, the very same lawyer has now made yet another demand from more than a decade ago, which will also be a failed money grab,” Spiro said, later adding that the allegations “have no basis in fact and law and no merit.”
Following the lawsuit’s filing, text messages exchanged between Perry and Rodriguez were made public. Rodriguez pushed back against suggestions that the friendly tone of their conversations undermined his allegations. “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,” Rodriguez said. “That does not mean abuse didn’t happen. Those text messages were sent at a time when I was especially vulnerable, as can be seen from the context.”
