Filmmaker Tyler Perry is facing a $260 million sexual assault lawsuit filed by actor Derek Dixon, who starred as Dale in Perry’s BET drama The Oval. Dixon publicly detailed his allegations for the first time in an on-camera interview with ABC News on September 9, 2025.
Dixon accused Perry of creating a coercive environment that blurred professional boundaries. He alleged that the producer pulled down his underwear and grabbed his buttocks at Perry’s Atlanta home. “I was under constant stress, scared I’d lose my job or be killed off the show if I didn’t comply,” Dixon said.
The actor explained that the lawsuit seeks compensation for both lost opportunities and as a deterrent against abuse. “Part of that number is my lost job, my lost income, the loss of a show. The other part of that is a deterrent for how do you stop a billionaire who won’t stop themselves from doing this,” he stated.
Dixon also claimed Perry failed to honor a promise to produce a pilot he had written, which he says Perry still controls. He said his decision to go public was to “protect future generations of actors and creatives,” urging: “Never exploit someone’s aspirations to coerce them into a relationship. That’s unprofessional.”
Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, strongly denied the allegations, describing Dixon’s lawsuit as an attempt at extortion. “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be an elaborate scam. But Tyler will not be coerced, and we are confident that these unfounded harassment claims will not succeed,” Boyd said.
Dixon joined Perry’s productions in 2020 and left The Oval in 2024 after filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He formally filed his lawsuit in June 2025, drawing attention to broader concerns about workplace harassment and power dynamics in Hollywood.
So far, Dixon remains the only publicly identified accuser. Perry has denied all allegations.
