Mario Rodriguez v. Tyler Perry et al.

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Mario Rodriguez v. Tyler Perry et al.

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• Mario Rodriguez filed the complaint on 26 December 2025.
• Case number 25STCV37750, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
• Assigned to the Honourable Brock T. Hammond, Department 407.
• In discovery. Both defendants have appeared and are represented by counsel. Lionsgate's writ petition over a discovery order is pending in the California Court of Appeal, which temporarily stayed part of that order on 21 August 2026.
• A short summary of the case is on our case results page.

Case timeline

Every entry below reflects a document filed with the court. This page is updated as the docket moves.

• 26 December 2025: Complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
• 7 April 2026: Requests for production of documents, set one, served on Lions Gate Films Inc.
• 14 April 2026: Deposition dates first requested for Tyler Perry.
• 22 April 2026: At a meet-and-confer call, the defence demands that questions about Perry's sexual history, sexual preferences and whether he is attracted to men be excluded from the deposition. Mr. Rodriguez offers to drop those questions if Perry stipulates that he has had a sexual interest in men; the defence refuses. This is set out in the motion to compel Perry's deposition.
• 12 May 2026: The deadline for Lionsgate's document responses passes with nothing served.
• 26 May 2026: Amended notice of deposition served on Tyler Perry.
• 9 June 2026: Tyler Perry does not appear for the noticed deposition. No objection to the notice had been served.
• 12 June 2026: Motion filed to compel Lionsgate's document responses, with a request for $11,760 in sanctions.
• 17 June 2026: Motion filed to compel Tyler Perry's deposition, with a request for $7,372.50 in sanctions.
• 17 June 2026: Lionsgate serves document responses, five days after the motion to compel was filed.
• 15 July 2026: Lionsgate serves second amended responses with verifications. No privilege log is served.
• 22 July 2026: Both discovery motions are heard in Department 407. The court takes the disputed issues under submission.
• 27 July 2026: The court grants the motion to compel Lionsgate's document responses and denies Lionsgate's motion for relief from the waiver of its objections. Lionsgate is ordered to serve verified responses without objections. The request for sanctions is denied.
• 29 July 2026: The court denies Lionsgate's request to stay the order and extends its time to comply to 26 August 2026.
• 6 August 2026: Lionsgate petitions the California Court of Appeal for a writ of mandate, case number B356319.
• 14 August 2026: Mr. Rodriguez files his preliminary opposition to Lionsgate's writ petition.
• 21 August 2026: The Court of Appeal temporarily stays the 27 July order, insofar as it deems Lionsgate to have waived privileges and compels responses without objections, pending its further order.
• 26 August 2026: Lionsgate files its reply in support of the writ petition.
• 9 December 2026: The date identified by the defence as Tyler Perry's first available in-person deposition date in Los Angeles.

Rodriguez brings claims for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, plus a claim against Lionsgate, which distributed Boo! A Madea Halloween, for turning a blind eye to Perry’s alleged misconduct. Seeking $77 Million to prevent Perry from Doing this to others.

According to the lawsuit, a gym trainer at Equinox in Los Angeles approached Rodriguez in 2014 and told him that Perry asked for his phone number to discuss an acting role. That day, Perry allegedly called and told Rodriguez that he should audition for the role of a good looking college student on Boo! A Madea Halloween. “You know Mario, I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” Perry said, per the complaint.

After auditioning for and accepting the part, Rodriguez was invited to Perry’s Los Angeles home, the lawsuit says. There, they had drinks before going to his theater room to watch a movie. Perry allegedly “put his hands on Mr. Rodiguez’s legs and began rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis,” the lawsuit claims. Rodriguez excused himself for the restroom but Perry persisted, according to the complaint. “Man if you would just come, I would take care of your for the rest of your life and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything,” the filmmaker said, the lawsuit claims. “I know you’ll come around.”

Once filming for Boo! A Madea Halloween finished in 2016, Perry called Rodriguez and teased opportunities “about scripts [I’m] writing.” At his home, the filmmaker, who confided in Rodriguez that he had been sexually molested as a child, grabbed the actor’s “leg right along his penis,” per the lawsuit. Rodriguez says he resisted and left.

According to the complaint, Perry reached out to Rodriguez again in 2018 and said he wanted to meet for dinner at Maestro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills to discuss a role in The Oval. After, the pair left for Perry’s home, where the mogul “tightly hugged” Rodriguez and told him to “hold on” while trying to unbuckle the actor’s pants, the lawsuit says.

“Mr. Perry reached into Mr. Rodriguez’s underwear and grabbed his penis,” writes Jonathan Delshad, a lawyer for Rodriguez who also represents Dixon, in the complaint. “Mr. Perry was making sexual moaning noises and saying, ‘Stay here, stay here,’ while he pressed his body against Mr. Rodriguez and continued to grab his penis.”

Frequently asked questions

What is the Mario Rodriguez v. Tyler Perry lawsuit about?

Mario Rodriguez, an actor who appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween, sued Tyler Perry in Los Angeles Superior Court on 26 December 2025. He brings claims against Perry for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and claims against Lions Gate Films Inc. for negligence and negligent retention. The lawsuit seeks $77 million. These are allegations in a complaint, not findings by a court.

What is the case number, and which judge is assigned?

The case number is 25STCV37750 in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. It is assigned to the Honorable Brock T. Hammond in Department 407.

Why is Lionsgate a defendant in the Tyler Perry lawsuit?

Lionsgate distributed Boo! A Madea Halloween. Mr. Rodriguez alleges that Lionsgate retained Tyler Perry with knowledge of his prior misconduct. The trial court sustained Lionsgate's first demurrer with leave to amend, which means Mr. Rodriguez could file an amended complaint, and he then filed a Second Amended Complaint.

Has Tyler Perry been deposed in the Rodriguez case?

Not as of the latest filing on this page. Perry did not appear for his noticed deposition on 9 June 2026, and no objection to the notice had been served. The next day, the defense agreed that he would appear in person in Los Angeles on 9 December 2026. The defense has objected to questions about Perry's sexuality, and that dispute is part of the motion to compel his deposition, which was heard on 22 July 2026.

What happened with Lionsgate's discovery responses?

Lionsgate did not respond to the document requests by the 12 May 2026 deadline. On 27 July 2026 the court granted the motion to compel and refused to relieve Lionsgate from the waiver of its objections. Lionsgate then asked the California Court of Appeal to overturn that order, and Mr. Rodriguez filed an opposition on 14 August 2026. On 21 August 2026 the Court of Appeal temporarily stayed the parts of the order that deem Lionsgate's privileges waived and compel responses without objections, pending its further order.

Is the Rodriguez case connected to Derek Dixon's lawsuit against Tyler Perry?

They are separate lawsuits. Jonathan J. Delshad represents both Mario Rodriguez and Derek Dixon. The Dixon v. Tyler Perry case has its own page.

Where can I read the court filings in this case?

The firm publishes its filed motions and briefs in full, with the original PDFs, in its library of filed motions. Timeline entries that mention a filed motion link to the page for that motion.

Press Coverage

• Hollywood Reporter - Tyler Perry Sued for Sexual Assault By New Accuser, an Actor in a ‘Madea’ Movie

• Model accuses Tyler Perry of sexual assault in new lawsuit

• Mario Rodriguez vs. Tyler Perry: Inside the Explosive $77 Million Lawsuit Rocking Hollywood

• A Second Lawsuit Accuses Tyler Perry of Sexual Assault

• Tyler Perry's Sexual Assault Accuser Responds After New Texts Between the Two Surface: 'Survivors Often Stay Cordial'

• Tyler Perry sued for sexual assault by 'Boo! A Madea Halloween' actor seeking $77 million

• Tyler Perry faces second sexual assault lawsuit for $77m

• Tyler Perry Sued by Another Aspiring Actor Alleging Sexual Assault and Seeking $77 Million in Damages

Attorney advertising. This article is educational only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship, which exists only under a signed engagement agreement. Every case is different, and outcomes depend on the specific facts. Deadlines can run early, so consult a lawyer promptly about your situation.