The man who has accused actor and screenwriter Tyler Perry of alleged sexual harassment has spoken out for the first time, claiming he “couldn’t stay silent”.
Derek Dixon, an actor best known for his role as Dale on the long-running political drama, The Oval, created by Perry, sued for alleged sexual assault, battery, quid pro quo, and workplace sexual harassment in a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on 13 June. Perry has denied the allegations, with his lawyer claiming they had been fabricated.
Dixon told The Hollywood Reporter via a recent email interview that he had filed the lawsuit to ensure “the next generation of actors and creatives don't have to choose between their dreams and their dignity”.
“Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them,” he said.
Dixon has said that he has received a mixed response to filing the lawsuit a month ago, and has received death threats.
“This is why people, especially men, don't come forward,” he said. “I was too afraid to come forward. I knew it would be awful. And I was right.”
Dixon said he tried to convince himself that his alleged experiences were “part of the industry, or that I had to accept it to keep working”.
“But eventually, I couldn't stay silent anymore,” he said.
In the filing, obtained by The Independent, Perry is accused of using his “success and power” and his “considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” with Dixon while he was employed as a series regular on The Oval.
The documents allege that Perry, 55, initially promised Dixon “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 when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances.”
Dixon alleges that in 2020 Perry climbed into bed with him after a night of drinking, and that Perry aggressively groped his buttocks while the pair were in Perry’s trailer on the set of The Oval.
He also alleges that in 2021, while staying in Perry’s guest house, he was again sexually assaulted and, fearing that he would be raped, slept inside a locked bathroom.
Perry’s lawyer, Matthew Boyd, responded to Dixon’s accusations, saying in a statement shared with The Independent: “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
According to the lawsuit, Dixon allegedly met Perry in September 2019 while he was working for the event company that organised the opening party for Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
It’s further claimed that from then on, Perry sometimes texted Dixon sexual advances and other times he messaged him about helping him find a job.
Screenshots of alleged text messages sent between the two show that after Dixon told Perry he was not interested in sex, Perry responded: “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.”
After Perry offered Dixon a role in The Oval, the actor claims he quit his job at the events company and alleges Perry’s advances became more frequent.
Dixon claims he was worried he would lose his acting job if he refused Perry’s advances outright, so he continued to maintain that he was simply not interested in sex. At the end of one season, Perry wrote into The Oval that Dixon’s character had been shot multiple times but left it unclear as to whether the character had died. Dixon says he interpreted this as Perry putting pressure on him to maintain their relationship or otherwise be written out of the show.
In another text message shown in the filing, Perry is alleged to have warned Dixon against revealing details of their relationship, writing: “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 because we have a friendship.”
Dixon claims that as a result of Perry’s actions, he suffered from severe depression, anxiety, stomach pains, and nausea and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is suing for $260 million in total damages as well as legal expenses.
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