An actor who appeared in at least 85 episodes of the Tyler Perry-created TV drama ‘The Oval’ has filed a lawsuit against him. Derek Dixon alleges Perry used his industry power to repeatedly sexually assault and harass him while keeping him quiet. Dixon filed the $260 million lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday (June 13). Alleged past texts between Dixon and Perry included in the lawsuit have since surfaced online.
Lawsuit Says Tyler Perry Leveraged His Hollywood Power
The bombshell allegations against Tyler Perry were first reported on Tuesday by TMZ. Documents paint a workplace environment under Tyler that allegedly included sexual advances and misconduct.
“Mr. Perry took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says that Tyler Perry first noticed Dixon in 2019 when Dixon was part of the event staff at a Perry party. The movie mogul later offered Dixon an audition. Dixon’s audition led him to a minor role on the Perry series ‘Ruthless’ before getting the bigger role on the political drama ‘The Oval.’
The lawsuit says Perry offered Dixon an increasingly prominent role on the show as his sexual advances became more aggressive. The actor says he tried to remain friendly while maintaining boundaries.
“Dixon did his best to tiptoe around Mr. Perry’s sexual aggression while keeping on Mr. Perry’s good side,” the lawsuit says. “Mr. Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendoes, Dixon’s character would ‘die.’”
Derek Dixon Alleges Tyler Assaulted Him On Multiple Occasions
Additionally, the $260M lawsuit says Tyler Perry eventually sexually assaulted Derek Dixon on “multiple occasions,” including an instance where he “forcibly pulled off Mr. Dixon’s clothing, groped his buttocks, and attempted to force himself on Dixon.” Dixon allegedly told Perry “No,” but was initially ignored until he was able to de-escalate the situation and change the subject, per the suit.
The following day, Perry apologized and told Dixon he would work with Dixon on a TV pilot Dixon was seeking to produce. Dixon later received a raise that the lawsuit suggests was part of Perry’s attempt to keep him quiet. He said the fear of his character dying on the TV series kept him quiet as intended. Perry also produced and bought the rights to the pilot, called ‘Losing It.’ However, the lawsuit alleges Perry had no intention of selling the show and was using it only for leverage over Dixon.
The lawsuit alleges several other assaults, including one where Dixon was staying in a guest room of Perry’s house when Perry climbed into bed with him uninvited and began groping him.
In the paperwork, Dixon said he eventually moved out of Atlanta—home to Tyler Perry’s production studio. The actor settled in Los Angeles, allegedly to put distance between them. Dixon filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2024, and when that didn’t result in any action from the show’s producers, he quit.
Screenshots Of Past Texts Between Plaintiff & Defendant Released
According to the lawsuit, amid the TV roles, Tyler Perry began sending unwanted sexual text messages to Dixon. The lawsuit documents include screenshots of several of them.
“What’s it going to take for you to have guiltless sex? Have y’all found that yet in therapy?” one of the messages says.
Another read: “I would hope that you would let someone hold you and make love to you. You are missing the best years of your life, my friend. Trust me. I hope you get past that block in your mind soon.”
Swipe below to see the full text screenshots. The conversations ranged from career advice to Dixon admitting he was “trying to get off,” Perry fishing for a compliment on a beach picture, Derek speaking of a religious mind block, and Tyler warning him about outing their friendship on set.
“Listen to me. If you let the cast know that you and I have a new friendship then you are opening yourself up to a lot of questions and foolishness. You want them to KNOW that you are there because of your talent and not becasue we have a friendship or because Tony got me to give you a job. You earned your spot like everyone else. Don’t give people an opportunity to play you small or they will,” a text from Perry to Derek said in part.
Tyler Perry’s Lawyer Reacts To Lawsuit
Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, said the allegations are false. “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Boyd said in a statement Tuesday. He added:
“But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Perry himself has not directly spoken to the public about the lawsuit.