Tyler Perry says he rejected multi-million dollar settlement before sexual assault suit intensified
TheGrio...
The media mogul is seeking sanctions against Mario Rodriguez and pushing back against questions about his sexuality.
Tyler Perry is escalating his defense in the sexual assault lawsuit brought against him, alleging in new court filings that his accuser attempted to broker a multi-million dollar settlement and turned to aggressive legal maneuvering only after being rebuffed. According to TMZ, which obtained the documents filed by Perry’s legal team, the director maintains he has no intention of settling.
The filings respond to a motion from Mario Rodriguez, who reportedly asked the court to sanction Perry for failing to appear at a deposition. Rodriguez had indicated he intended to question Perry about whether he is attracted to men. Perry’s team dismissed that framing entirely, arguing that he had already agreed to sit for a deposition and rejecting the suggestion that he would be uncomfortable answering such questions.
Per TMZ’s reporting, Perry accused Rodriguez of holding a “backwards belief” that he should be ashamed of his sexual orientation, insisting he is not. He further argued that the line of questioning is irrelevant to the case, characterizing the underlying logic as a “bigoted stereotype” that assumes a man attracted to men is more likely to have assaulted another man.
Perry’s central claim in the filing is that Rodriguez’s court activity amounts to pressure tactics. He alleges that after he declined a multi-million dollar settlement proposal, Rodriguez responded by filing the deposition motion in an effort to damage his reputation and force his hand. In turn, Perry is asking the court to sanction Rodriguez $7,300 for what he describes as abuse of the discovery process.
The dispute stems from a $77 million lawsuit Rodriguez filed against Perry, alleging sexual assault. TMZ reported that Rodriguez claims the two met at a gym in 2015 and that Perry later cast him in a film before, he alleges, assaulting him at his home on more than one occasion.
Perry has consistently denied all allegations. His legal team has previously argued that Rodriguez maintained contact with him for years afterward, contending that the accusations surfaced only after Perry stopped providing him with financial support.