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SMS display Tyler Perry “Hush! All Hallows’ Eve actor Mario Rodriguez recently filed a lawsuit accusing the filmmaker of sexual assault, after Rodriguez claims he remained in contact years after their interaction ended.
Rodriguez alleges in a lawsuit filed last week california Perry assaulted him in encounters that took place between 2014 and 2019. Rodriguez cut off contact with Perry in 2019, though Perry contacted him regularly thereafter, the lawsuit said. But screenshots of text messages obtained by The Associated Press Sunday night showed Rodriguez contacted Perry as recently as Thanksgiving 2024 and again on Aug. 31, 2025, expressing gratitude, friendship and financial hardship.
In a message sent on Thanksgiving, Rodriguez thanked Perry for helping him through a difficult time in his life and wrote that his gratitude for Perry “goes to the moon,” according to screenshots. In another series of messages on Aug. 31, Rodriguez described ongoing health issues, said he lacked health insurance and told Perry he was scared and struggling financially.
The information was provided to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Perry’s attorney, Alex Spiro, disputed Rodriguez’s allegations.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Spiro said in a statement. “This was nothing more than a $77 million scam.”
Rodriguez’s lawsuit seeks at least $77 million in damages and accuses Perry of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Perry has denied the accusations.
The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they were sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Rodriguez has.
It comes after actor Derek Dixon filed a separate lawsuit in June accusing Perry of groping him while filming Perry’s TV series “The Oval” and “Ruthless.” The lawsuit was originally filed in California state court and later moved to federal court Georgiawhere Perry is headquartered. Perry also denied Dixon’s allegations.
The Associated Press reached out to Rodriguez’s attorney, Jonathan Delshad, for comment on the text messages but did not receive a response. Delshad also represents Dixon.