“The Oval” actor Derek Dixon has damaged his silence after accusing Hollywood filmmaker Tyler Perry of sexual assault and harassment in a bombshell $250 million lawsuit final month.
“I couldn’t just let him get away with this,” Dixon informed The Hollywood Reporter. “Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them.”
“My goal is to help ensure that the next generation of actors and creatives don’t have to choose between their dreams and their dignity.”
Dixon claimed he was “too afraid to come forward” over fears of detrimental consideration saying, “This is why people, especially men, don’t come forward.”
“I knew it would be awful. And I was right,” he added.
The actor was then requested if he had tried settling the dispute with Perry in personal.
“There are always attempts to resolve situations like this privately, but they never result in the type of change necessary to protect further victims,” he informed the outlet. “At the end of the day my absolute fear is that he will be able to continue doing this without any major consequences.”
Dixon claimed that for a very long time, he tried to bury his alleged expertise, telling himself it “was part of the industry, or that I had to accept it to keep working.”
“But eventually, I couldn’t stay silent anymore,” he added.
In court docket paperwork obtained by The Submit final month, Dixon sued Perry, 55, for alleged sexual assault and sexual harassment in a grievance filed with the Superior Courtroom of California in Los Angeles.
The actor claimed Perry “took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” between them when he labored on the set of “The Oval” and “Ruthless.”
The “Madea Goes to Jail” star shortly denied the allegations.
“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Perry’s legal professional Matthew Boyd informed The Submit final month. “But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
In his submitting, Dixon claimed that he was virtually raped by Perry whereas as soon as once more visiting the leisure mogul’s Georgia residence in June 2021.
He alleged that Perry pulled down his underwear and groped his butt after asking for a “good night” hug.
“Rather than arguing, Dixon complied, at which point Perry reached out and yanked Dixon’s underwear down from behind,” the lawsuit learn. “Perry then began to vigorously grab, grope, and play with Dixon’s buttocks in a sexual manner. Dixon was naked, stunned and seized by tremendous fear.”
“Dixon started to tell Perry that he ‘did not want [his] underwear down,’ that Dixon ‘didn’t want to be naked,’ and that Dixon ‘didn’t want this,’” the go well with alleged.
“Dixon quickly reached to pull his underwear back up. As soon as he did, Perry grabbed Dixon’s reaching arm with a tight grip and held fast.”
Based on the court docket paperwork, Dixon was in a position to distract Perry and alter the topic earlier than the alleged incident went any additional.
In addition to his many accusations in opposition to Perry, Dixon additionally included a number of years’ price of alleged textual content message exchanges between the pair in his submitting.
Dixon is suing Perry and Tyler Perry Studios for quid professional quo sexual harassment, work surroundings harassment, sexual harassment, office gender violence, sexual battery, sexual assault, retaliation, and extra.
He’s additionally looking for $260 million in damages.
