Tyler Perry Faces $260 Million Lawsuit from Former The Oval Actor
Hollywood filmmaker and studio mogul Tyler Perry is at the center of a $260 million lawsuit brought by Derek Dixon, an actor who appeared in Perry’s BET drama series The Oval.
Dixon, who played the role of Dale, alleges that Perry crossed professional boundaries and subjected him to harassment that left him fearful for both his safety and his career.
In his first televised interview with ABC News on September 9, 2025, Dixon detailed encounters he claims happened at Perry’s Atlanta home. “He pulled down my underwear and grabbed my buttocks,” Dixon alleged, adding that he felt pressured to comply or risk losing his role on the show.
The actor, who began working with Perry in 2020, explained that the massive lawsuit is intended both to recover financial losses and to act as a deterrent. “Part of that number is my lost job, my lost income, the loss of a show. The other part is a deterrent — how do you stop a billionaire who won’t stop themselves from doing this?” he said.
Dixon also accused Perry of failing to honor a commitment to produce a pilot he wrote. According to him, the deal was abandoned, yet Perry still controls the rights to the project. “Never exploit someone’s aspirations to coerce them into a relationship. That’s unprofessional,” Dixon said, adding that he came forward to protect “future generations of actors and creatives.”
Perry, one of Hollywood’s most influential figures, has firmly denied the accusations. His attorney, Matthew Boyd, dismissed the lawsuit as “baseless,” describing Dixon as someone who “got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be an elaborate scam.”
“Tyler will not be coerced, and we are confident these unfounded claims will not succeed,” Boyd stated.
Dixon initially filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January 2024 before leaving The Oval later that year. His lawsuit, filed in June 2025, has since fueled wider conversations about power, workplace harassment, and accountability in Hollywood.
For now, Dixon remains the only publicly named accuser, while Perry continues to deny all allegations.
