Derek Dixon, the actor who filed a $260 million sexual harassment lawsuit against Tyler Perry, is speaking out for the first time about his experience and why he decided to take legal action.
“I couldn’t just let him get away with this,” Dixon said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Dixon says filing the lawsuit has been terrifying but hopes it will help protect others in the industry from similar situations.
“Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them,” Dixon says. “My goal is to help ensure that the next generation of actors and creatives don’t have to choose between their dreams and their dignity.”
Dixon appeared in Perry’s shows “Ruthless” and “The Oval” as Dale. He claims that Perry first offered him career opportunities but later created a “coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic” when Dixon didn’t return Perry’s alleged advances.
The complaint, filed on June 13 in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Perry of sexual harassment, assault, battery, and retaliation. Dixon describes several incidents in the lawsuit, including being groped and cornered by Perry, both in a trailer and at Perry’s home.
He is seeking a jury trial and $260 million in damages, citing emotional distress and professional harm. Dixon said he tried to stay quiet for a long time, but later chose to speak up.
“For a long time, I convinced myself that it was part of the industry, or that somehow I had to accept it to keep working,” he said. “But eventually, I couldn’t stay silent anymore.”
Since filing the suit last month, Dixon shared that he has faced mixed reactions, including some 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 also revealed he tried to settle the issue privately before suing but didn’t believe private talks would stop the behavior. “At the end of the day my absolute fear is that he will be able to continue doing this without any major consequences,” he said.
Tyler Perry’s lawyer, Matthew Boyd, called the lawsuit a “scam” and said they are confident the claims will fail. He said, “Tyler will not be shaken down.”
