Tyler Perry is seeking to keep private text messages out of the possession of Mario Rodriguez, the man suing him for $77 million over alleged sexual assault.
Court documents state that the filmmaker provided messages exchanged with associates during the legal dispute, but maintains they should remain confidential under an earlier agreement.
Perry argues that some of the conversations involve financial matters and that the people involved have no connection to the case. He says releasing the messages could cause them unnecessary annoyance and embarrassment.
He also maintains that he and his associates understood their discussions to be private, and argues that Rodriguez has no right to disclose them.
Rodriguez has not yet responded to the issue in his own court documents.
Rodriguez says he met Perry at a gym in 2015, an encounter which he claims eventually led to him being cast in the film Boo! A Madea Halloween.
In his lawsuit, Rodriguez alleges that Perry assaulted him during a visit to the director’s home in 2018. He claims Perry asked whether he liked oral sex, grabbed his genitals and later gave him $5,000 while apologising.
Rodriguez further alleges that Perry forced his hand on his penis during another meeting, after which he says a second payment of $5,000 was made.
Perry and his company have denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Perry has claimed Rodriguez continued communicating with him after the alleged incidents and only turned against him after financial assistance stopped.
The dispute over the messages is the latest legal issue in the case. Perry has also previously challenged whether he should have to answer questions about his sexuality during a deposition.
His lawyer, Alex Spiro, previously described the wider legal battle as a “shakedown”.
