Tyler Perry has brought Elon Musk and Alec Baldwin’s high-profile lawyer to his defense team in the sexual assault lawsuit. Perry’s lawyer is a former attorney who has also represented other notable figures such as Jay-Z, Eric Adams, and Bobby Shmurda.
Alex Spiro has officially joined Tyler Perry’s defense team in the ongoing sexual assault/battery lawsuit, reports My News LA. Spiro is a member of the law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP but works in the New York office.
The Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brock T. Hammond approved Spiro’s application, on Wednesday, to participate in the complaint brought against Perry and Lionsgate by actor Mario Rodriguez.
What to know about Tyler Perry’s sexual assault lawsuit
Last year, Mario Rodriguez, who appeared alongside Tyler Perry in 2016’s Boo! A Madea Halloween filed a $77 million sexual lawsuit against him.
The lawsuit was filed in California and accused Perry of “unwanted sexual advances” across multiple years. It claimed instances of sexual battery and assault at Perry’s home in Los Angeles. The lawsuit also claimed that Lionsgate studio didn’t do anything and ignored his complaints.
Notably, this was the second sexual assault lawsuit filed against Perry. Previously, he was accused by another man, Derek Dixon, of using his “considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic.”
As for the ongoing case, Perry has repeatedly denied Rodriguez’s allegations. He and Lionsgate attorneys are seeking dismissal of Rodriguez’s claims against Lionsgate for negligence and negligent retention. They have called Rodriguez’s lawsuit a “transparent money grab.” The hearing for the same will take place on October 20, 2026.
“It is no coincidence that plaintiff has since withdrawn his absurd demand for $77 million in damages,” said Perry and Lionsgate attorneys regarding the revised suit. They also called Rodriguez’s latest allegations “fabricated, knowingly false, and contradicted by documents that plaintiff has in his possession and sanctionable.”
Originally reported on ComingSoon.
