California
Tyler Perry sued for sexual assault by ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’ actor seeking $77 million
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Perry was sued for sexual assault by an actor who appeared in “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” marking the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit Thursday in California, alleging Perry subjected him to repeated unwanted sexual advances over several years, including sexual battery and assault at Perry’s Los Angeles home. Rodriguez is seeking at least $77 million in damages and also has sued Lionsgate, which distributed the 2016 film, accusing the studio of turning a blind eye to Perry’s alleged misconduct.
Lionsgate did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
In a statement, Perry’s lawyer denied the allegations.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez was approached in 2014 by a trainer at an Equinox gym in Los Angeles who said Perry wanted his phone number to discuss an acting role. Perry later encouraged Rodriguez to audition for “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” telling him, “I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” the lawsuit claims.
After Rodriguez was cast, he was invited to Perry’s home, where Perry allegedly touched him inappropriately while they watched a movie. The lawsuit describes additional alleged incidents in 2016, 2018 and 2019, including one encounter in which Perry allegedly attempted to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants and another in which Perry placed Rodriguez’s hand on his genitals. The complaint says Perry gave Rodriguez $5,000 on multiple occasions following the encounters.
Rodriguez says he resisted the advances and ultimately decided to file suit after learning of similar allegations made by another actor, Derek Dixon.
Dixon sued Perry in June, alleging the filmmaker groped him while Dixon worked on Perry’s television series “The Oval” and “Ruthless.” That lawsuit, which was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has reportedly since been moved to federal court in Georgia, where Perry’s studio is based.
Rodriguez’s lawsuit includes claims of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Hawaii
State hopes stricter laws will quiet illegal fireworks after deadly New Year’s Eve blast
HONOLULU (AP) — Mike Lambert heard fewer illegal fireworks exploding in his suburban Honolulu neighborhood in the months after a chain of blasts at a house party last New Year’s Eve led to the deaths of six people, including a 3-year-old boy.
As the director of Hawaii’s Department of Law Enforcement, Lambert wondered if the tragedy had sparked a shift in Hawaii residents’ penchant for igniting illegal fireworks. In some neighborhoods, it would be common to hear loud booms any time of day or night — for sporting events, celebrations or no apparent reason at all.
But this year, authorities are armed with stiffer laws created in the wake of the tragedy and will be giving out citations to offenders, Lambert warned.
“We have no delusions that you can have a tragedy New Year’s, you can sign a law in July and then not have anything go off the following year,” he said. Still, he expects that some people will decide not to set off fireworks, either because of last year’s deadly accident or the stepped-up enforcement and new laws.
“Before, you could shoot it off with impunity,” said state Rep. Scot Matayoshi, who authored two of the five anti-fireworks bills. “Everyone knew they weren’t going to bust you.”
Police can now issue $300 tickets to those who shoot off fireworks, while repeat offenders and people whose actions cause serious injury or death could get prison time for felony crimes.
Matayoshi said he began working on legislation the morning after the tragedy, which took place at a New Year’s Eve 2025 celebration when crates of illegal fireworks tipped over and ignited in the Aliamanu neighborhood, illuminating the sky in a terrifying set of explosions that left more than a dozen people with severe burns.
“It affected me a lot,” Matayoshi said. “I couldn’t imagine being the neighbor of someone who had basically bombs in their house going off and hurting and killing my kids.”
None of the the 12 people arrested have been charged with a crime. Honolulu police said they’re working with prosecutors in seeking charges.
A hopeful sign was an amnesty event last month where people turned in 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of illegal fireworks, Lambert said. His department has also increased searches at all ports, noting that illegal fireworks shipped to Hawaii often have ties to organized crime.
As of earlier this month, Honolulu police said officers had issued 10 fireworks citations. Matayoshi said the number is an improvement from zero in past years. He expects it to jump dramatically on New Year’s Eve.
Firecrackers to ring in the new year have long been popular in Hawaii, but about a decade ago, professional-grade aerials started becoming common.
“You’re seeing fireworks that were meant to be let off at like stadium and hotel events,” Lambert said. Those pyrotechnics have a 900-foot (274-meter) blast radius, but are exploding in tightly packed neighborhoods where homes are often just a few feet apart, he said.
Army veteran Simeon Rojas grew up on Oahu in the 1980s and ‘90s and enjoyed setting off firecrackers and lighting sparklers on New Year’s Eve. He considers fireworks part of the local culture and tradition.
But when fireworks suddenly explode when he’s at home in Honolulu’s Kalihi Valley, “it does rock my heart,” he said. It also triggers his post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It gives me flashbacks,” he said. “I stay with my wife and kids on New Year’s Eve, so I feel safe.”
Tyler Perry sued for sexual assault by ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’ actor seeking $77 million
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Perry was sued for sexual assault by an actor who appeared in “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” marking the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
Mario Rodriguez filed the lawsuit Thursday in California, alleging Perry subjected him to repeated unwanted sexual advances over several years, including sexual battery and assault at Perry’s Los Angeles home. Rodriguez is seeking at least $77 million in damages and also has sued Lionsgate, which distributed the 2016 film, accusing the studio of turning a blind eye to Perry’s alleged misconduct.
Lionsgate did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
In a statement, Perry’s lawyer denied the allegations.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez was approached in 2014 by a trainer at an Equinox gym in Los Angeles who said Perry wanted his phone number to discuss an acting role. Perry later encouraged Rodriguez to audition for “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” telling him, “I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner,” the lawsuit claims.
After Rodriguez was cast, he was invited to Perry’s home, where Perry allegedly touched him inappropriately while they watched a movie. The lawsuit describes additional alleged incidents in 2016, 2018 and 2019, including one encounter in which Perry allegedly attempted to unbuckle Rodriguez’s pants and another in which Perry placed Rodriguez’s hand on his genitals. The complaint says Perry gave Rodriguez $5,000 on multiple occasions following the encounters.
Rodriguez says he resisted the advances and ultimately decided to file suit after learning of similar allegations made by another actor, Derek Dixon.
Dixon sued Perry in June, alleging the filmmaker groped him while Dixon worked on Perry’s television series “The Oval” and “Ruthless.” That lawsuit, which was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has reportedly since been moved to federal court in Georgia, where Perry’s studio is based.
Rodriguez’s lawsuit includes claims of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Hawaii
State hopes stricter laws will quiet illegal fireworks after deadly New Year’s Eve blast
HONOLULU (AP) — Mike Lambert heard fewer illegal fireworks exploding in his suburban Honolulu neighborhood in the months after a chain of blasts at a house party last New Year’s Eve led to the deaths of six people, including a 3-year-old boy.
As the director of Hawaii’s Department of Law Enforcement, Lambert wondered if the tragedy had sparked a shift in Hawaii residents’ penchant for igniting illegal fireworks. In some neighborhoods, it would be common to hear loud booms any time of day or night — for sporting events, celebrations or no apparent reason at all.
But this year, authorities are armed with stiffer laws created in the wake of the tragedy and will be giving out citations to offenders, Lambert warned.
“We have no delusions that you can have a tragedy New Year’s, you can sign a law in July and then not have anything go off the following year,” he said. Still, he expects that some people will decide not to set off fireworks, either because of last year’s deadly accident or the stepped-up enforcement and new laws.
“Before, you could shoot it off with impunity,” said state Rep. Scot Matayoshi, who authored two of the five anti-fireworks bills. “Everyone knew they weren’t going to bust you.”
Police can now issue $300 tickets to those who shoot off fireworks, while repeat offenders and people whose actions cause serious injury or death could get prison time for felony crimes.
Matayoshi said he began working on legislation the morning after the tragedy, which took place at a New Year’s Eve 2025 celebration when crates of illegal fireworks tipped over and ignited in the Aliamanu neighborhood, illuminating the sky in a terrifying set of explosions that left more than a dozen people with severe burns.
“It affected me a lot,” Matayoshi said. “I couldn’t imagine being the neighbor of someone who had basically bombs in their house going off and hurting and killing my kids.”
None of the the 12 people arrested have been charged with a crime. Honolulu police said they’re working with prosecutors in seeking charges.
A hopeful sign was an amnesty event last month where people turned in 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of illegal fireworks, Lambert said. His department has also increased searches at all ports, noting that illegal fireworks shipped to Hawaii often have ties to organized crime.
As of earlier this month, Honolulu police said officers had issued 10 fireworks citations. Matayoshi said the number is an improvement from zero in past years. He expects it to jump dramatically on New Year’s Eve.
Firecrackers to ring in the new year have long been popular in Hawaii, but about a decade ago, professional-grade aerials started becoming common.
“You’re seeing fireworks that were meant to be let off at like stadium and hotel events,” Lambert said. Those pyrotechnics have a 900-foot (274-meter) blast radius, but are exploding in tightly packed neighborhoods where homes are often just a few feet apart, he said.
Army veteran Simeon Rojas grew up on Oahu in the 1980s and ‘90s and enjoyed setting off firecrackers and lighting sparklers on New Year’s Eve. He considers fireworks part of the local culture and tradition.
But when fireworks suddenly explode when he’s at home in Honolulu’s Kalihi Valley, “it does rock my heart,” he said. It also triggers his post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It gives me flashbacks,” he said. “I stay with my wife and kids on New Year’s Eve, so I feel safe.”
