Fresh details have surfaced in the high-profile sexual assault lawsuit against Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry after newly revealed text messages showed his accuser remained in contact with the filmmaker years after the alleged abuse ended.
According to screenshots reviewed by The Associated Press, actor Mario Rodriguez, who filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Perry last week, sent messages expressing gratitude, friendship and financial distress as recently as Thanksgiving 2024 and August 31, 2025, despite claiming in court filings that he cut off contact in 2019.
The messages, shared with the AP by a source close to the case who was not authorised to speak publicly, add a new and complex layer to a lawsuit that has already sent shockwaves through Hollywood.
Messages Show Gratitude and Financial Desperation
In one message sent on Thanksgiving 2024, Rodriguez thanked Perry for helping him through difficult moments in his life, writing that he appreciated him 'to the moon', according to the screenshots.
Months later, in August 2025, Rodriguez reached out again with a far more urgent tone. He described ongoing health problems, said he did not have health insurance and admitted he was struggling financially, telling Perry he was scared and overwhelmed.
The exchanges appear to contradict Rodriguez's claim in his lawsuit that all communication ended in 2019 and instead show him initiating contact several years later.
Rodriguez alleges in the lawsuit, filed in California, that Perry sexually assaulted him during encounters that took place between 2014 and 2019. Perry has denied all allegations.
Accuser Responds: 'Survivors Often Stay Cordial'
Rodriguez responded to the release of the messages through his attorney, Jonathan Delshad, insisting that continued communication does not undermine his claims.
'When someone has influence over your career, your income, your future, you don't feel free,' Rodriguez said in a statement released Monday. 'Survivors often stay cordial. They often ask for help when they feel desperate. That does not mean abuse didn't happen.'
He added that financial support and access can be part of abusive power dynamics, arguing that money is sometimes used to manage guilt, avoid confrontation or maintain silence.
Perry's Lawyer Calls Lawsuit a 'Money Grab'
Perry's legal team sharply rejected the allegations, with his attorney Alex Spiro dismissing the lawsuit in blunt terms.
'I said it before and I will say it again,' Spiro said in a statement. 'This is nothing but a $77 million money grab scam.'
The lawsuit seeks at least $77 million (£57.1 million) in damages and accuses Perry of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The Associated Press noted that it does not typically identify people who allege sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, which Rodriguez has chosen to do.
The case follows a separate lawsuit filed earlier this year by another actor, Derek Dixon, who also accused Perry of inappropriate conduct. Perry has denied those allegations as well.
As the legal battle unfolds, the newly revealed messages are expected to become a central point of contention, intensifying scrutiny of both the claims and the dynamics behind them in what could become one of Hollywood's most closely watched court fights.
