Actor Derek Dixon sued Tyler Perry in 2025, alleging sexual harassment, assault and retaliation connected to his work on Perry productions, including BET’s The Oval. Perry’s attorney denied the claims. The Associated Press reported that Dixon sought at least $260 million—not $400 million. The allegations have not been established as court findings.
What the lawsuit alleges
According to the Associated Press’s report on the complaint, Dixon alleged that Perry used his influence in the entertainment industry and control over career opportunities to create a coercive sexual dynamic. The complaint characterized the alleged conduct as escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation; those are allegations made in a pleading, not findings by a court.
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AP reported that Dixon alleged Perry sent unwanted sexual text messages, connected career opportunities to sexual advances, threatened that Dixon’s character could be killed off, and sexually assaulted him on multiple occasions. AP quoted an alleged message: “What’s it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?” Dixon also alleged that he filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint in 2024 and left the show after producers took no action. AP’s account of the filing and allegations summarizes the complaint; it does not establish that the alleged events occurred.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Dixon said he worked for Perry from January 2020 through June 2024 and appeared on The Oval from 2021 to 2025. AP reported that Dixon appeared in 85 episodes of the BET series. These dates and episode count are reported information, not a judicial determination of the disputed claims.
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What Tyler Perry’s attorney said
Perry’s attorney, Matthew Boyd, denied the allegations. AP quoted Boyd saying, “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” and, “But Tyler will not be shaken down, and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.” These statements are Perry’s side’s response, not court findings.
Dixon, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter quoted by the Los Angeles Times, said: “Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them.” He also said his goal was to help ensure that future actors and creatives “don’t have to choose between their dreams and their dignity.” Those are Dixon’s statements about the case and his aims.
Why the headline’s $400 million figure is not supported here
The Associated Press reported that Dixon’s suit sought at least $260 million. The sources cited here do not establish a $400 million damages demand. A Washington Post search excerpt surfaced in reporting on a different figure—nearly $400,000 Dixon allegedly gave up when leaving the show’s final season. That alleged compensation loss is not the same as a damages demand, and the available sources do not establish its relationship to the case’s requested damages. Do not treat $400 million as the verified amount sought.
Case status and procedural history
The case began in Los Angeles Superior Court in June 2025, according to AP. A later procedural timeline published by Dixon’s counsel says the defendants removed it to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on September 24, 2025, and it was transferred to the Northern District of Georgia on December 12, 2025. The timeline then records a First Amended and Verified Complaint filed April 1, 2026, a defense motion to dismiss on April 27, Dixon’s opposition on May 22, and a defense reply on June 22. It says Dixon filed notice of an EEOC Right to Sue notice on August 14, 2026.
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That chronology comes from plaintiff’s counsel, not a neutral court docket, and does not independently establish what the court has done since. A December 5, 2025 federal court order says remand and dismissal motions were taken under submission without oral argument and that the December 8 hearing was vacated; it does not resolve those motions. The cited materials therefore do not establish the case’s current status. Readers seeking the latest procedural position should check the current Northern District of Georgia docket. Dixon counsel’s published case timeline is a source for the later dates above, but should not be mistaken for a court record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the competing accounts
- Dixon’s account: The complaint and his public comments describe alleged workplace conduct and retaliation. Allegations remain unproven unless established through the legal process.
- Perry’s response: His attorney has denied the claims and called them fabricated.
- The court record: The December 2025 order records a scheduling and submission action, not a ruling on the merits. The later chronology cited above is from Dixon’s counsel.
The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times reports provide the initial account of the suit and the parties’ public statements: Associated Press and Los Angeles Times. The later procedural order is available through CourtListener; it is an older snapshot, not a current case-status report.
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