Tyler Perry wants to keep private messages out of public view as he fights a $77 million lawsuit. The filmmaker says the texts involve people who have no role in the legal dispute. He also says that the conversations include personal financial information. Now, he wants the court to protect those messages from public release.
Tyler Perry’s team requests to protect private communications
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Perry says he shared private text messages with Mario Rodriguez during their legal battle. However, Perry wants Rodriguez to keep those conversations confidential. He says both sides previously agreed to protect the messages. Perry also argues that some texts discuss financial matters that should remain private.
Perry says he and the people he messaged believed their conversations would stay confidential. He argues that Rodriguez has no right to make those exchanges public. Perry also points out that the people in the messages have no connection to the lawsuit. He says releasing the texts could cause them unnecessary embarrassment and annoyance.
Rodriguez has not yet filed a response to Perry’s request, according to the outlet. The dispute comes from a lawsuit in which Rodriguez seeks $77 million over alleged sexual assault. Rodriguez says he first met Perry at a gym in 2015. That meeting later led to a role in Perry’s film, Boo! A Madea Halloween.
Rodriguez claims in his lawsuit that he was assaulted by Perry during his visit to the filmmaker’s home in 2018. He claims Perry asked whether he liked oral sex before grabbing his genitals. Rodriguez also alleges Perry gave him $5,000 and apologized after that incident. He further claims Perry forced his hand onto his penis during another meeting and gave him another $5,000.
Perry and his company deny all allegations of wrongdoing. Perry argues that Rodriguez continued to communicate with him after the alleged incidents. He also claims Rodriguez turned against him after Perry stopped giving him financial help. The court dispute over the private texts adds another issue to the ongoing $77 million case.
