Tyler Perry Seeks to Keep Private Texts Confidential in Lawsuit

Filmmaker Tyler Perry is asking a court to protect private text messages exchanged with associates as he defends against a $77 million sexual assault lawsuit filed by Mario Rodriguez. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Perry argues that the messages should remain confidential because they contain personal and financial discussions unrelated to the case.

Perry said he provided the messages to Rodriguez during the legal proceedings under an agreement that they would remain private. He maintains that the people involved in those conversations have no connection to the allegations and that releasing their communications would cause unnecessary embarrassment and distress.

According to TMZ, Rodriguez had not filed a court response addressing Perry's request at the time of its report, published October 29, 2026.

The dispute stems from Rodriguez's lawsuit seeking $77 million in damages over alleged sexual assaults. Rodriguez claimed he met Perry at a gym in 2015, an encounter that eventually led to a role in Perry's film "Boo! A Madea Halloween."

In his complaint, Rodriguez alleged that Perry assaulted him during a visit to the filmmaker's home in 2018. Rodriguez claimed Perry asked whether he liked oral sex before grabbing his genitals, then gave him $5,000 and apologized.

Rodriguez also alleged that Perry forced his hand onto Rodriguez's penis during a separate encounter. According to the lawsuit, that incident was followed by another alleged payment of $5,000.

Perry and his company have denied wrongdoing. According to TMZ's account of the case, Perry argued that Rodriguez continued communicating with him after the alleged incidents and pursued legal action only after Perry stopped providing financial assistance.

The confidentiality dispute is not the first procedural conflict in the case. Perry previously challenged efforts to question him about his sexuality during a deposition, according to TMZ.

At that stage of the litigation, Perry's attorney, Alex Spiro, characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to extract money through legal pressure.

"shakedown."

Spiro's characterization was reported by TMZ in connection with the earlier dispute over deposition questions. The allegations against Perry remain disputed, and the court's resolution of the request to protect the private messages was not reported in the source article.