American filmmaker and comedian Tyler Perry’s legal dispute with actor Mario Rodriguez has taken a fresh turn. Rodriguez has asked the court to sanction Perry, claiming the filmmaker failed to attend a deposition he has been seeking since April.
According to court filings cited by TMZ, Rodriguez alleged that Perry would only agree to the deposition if lawyers avoided questions about his sexual orientation. Perry’s legal team reportedly argued that such questions are unrelated to the case and could be prejudicial. Rodriguez, however, maintains that the issue is relevant to the allegations before the court.
Responding to the claims, Perry’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, rejected the allegations. He told TMZ that Perry had not refused to appear for a deposition or declined any line of questioning. Spiro described the motion as frivolous and said Perry’s legal team would seek sanctions in return.
The dispute is part of a wider lawsuit in which Rodriguez is seeking $77 million in damages. He has accused Perry of sexual assault, sexual battery and other misconduct. Perry has denied all allegations. His legal team argues that Rodriguez continued communicating with him after the alleged incidents and only brought the claims after further requests for financial assistance were refused. The case remains before the courts.
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