Key Takeaways
- Tyler Perry has agreed to sit for an in-person deposition on Dec. 9 in Mario Rodriguez Jr.’s $77 million sexual assault lawsuit, and a Los Angeles judge denied Rodriguez’s bid to force an earlier date, calling the motion meritless.
- Rodriguez’s lawyer says a court order is needed because past deposition plans fell through, while Perry’s team calls the motion frivolous and accuses Rodriguez of using the case to push for a multimillion-dollar settlement and damage Perry’s reputation.
- The case, which stems from alleged assaults after Rodriguez appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween, is unfolding alongside a separate sexual harassment and assault suit from The Oval actor Derek Dixon, with Perry denying all allegations in both actions.
Tyler Perry will be deposed in person later this year after a California judge denied an attempt by actor Mario Rodriguez Jr. to force an earlier deposition in the parties' ongoing sexual assault lawsuit.
In a final ruling issued on Monday, July 27, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brock Hammond rejected Rodriguez's motion to compel, finding there was no basis to grant the request because Perry had already agreed to appear.
"The motion lacks merit," Hammond wrote, per MyNewsLA, noting that Rodriguez acknowledged Perry was unavailable for a June deposition before serving the notice. The judge also pointed to Perry's existing agreement to sit for an in-person deposition on December 9.
The decision resolves the latest procedural dispute in Rodriguez's $77 million lawsuit against the filmmaker. Rodriguez, who appeared in Boo! A Madea Halloween, alleges Perry used his position in Hollywood to make repeated unwanted sexual advances and sexually assaulted him during multiple encounters after they met in the mid-2010s.
Perry has denied every allegation, maintaining that the claims are false.
Rodriguez's attorney, Jonathan Delshad, argued that a court order was necessary because previous commitments regarding Perry's deposition had not materialized. In court filings, Delshad wrote that while Perry's legal team had proposed a December 9 deposition, "an email from these defendants is not an order," arguing that earlier agreements had ultimately fallen through.
Perry's attorneys took a sharply different view, telling the court their client had already committed to the December deposition and accusing Rodriguez of filing what they described as a needless motion. They characterized the filing as a "frivolous motion" and argued that Rodriguez chose litigation rather than simply confirming the agreed-upon date.
The defense also renewed claims it made in earlier filings, alleging that Rodriguez has attempted to leverage the litigation for a financial settlement. "The sequence is telling," Perry's attorneys wrote. "Having secured an agreed time and place for Mr. Perry's deposition, plaintiff floated his interest in a multimillion-dollar settlement, and when Mr. Perry wouldn't take the bait, he filed a public motion to attempt to harm Mr. Perry's reputation."
The filing further argues that Rodriguez "knows he cannot win this case on the merits" and instead has "stooped to harassing Mr. Perry, including with endless discovery disputes."
The ruling marks the latest development in a case that has drawn increasing attention over the past several months. Rodriguez has publicly addressed why he remained in contact with Perry after the alleged assaults, saying career ambitions, self-doubt, and the power imbalance between the two influenced his decisions.
Previously released text messages also showed Rodriguez communicating with Perry years after the alleged incidents, an issue both sides have cited in support of their competing narratives.
Perry has denied the allegations in both lawsuits and has said he intends to contest the claims in court.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, confidential support is available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or online at rainn.org.
