Joshua Sole claims Brett Hendrix, his supervisor at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, "subjected him to verbal and physical sexual harassment" during his employment, and when he complained about the alleged behaviour to company executives, he was demoted and then suspended.

In legal papers filed in Atlanta Federal Court on 13 May (15), the plaintiff's lawyer also accuses studio bosses of having his client arrested "for no reason", before firing him.

Gone Girl star Perry is also singled out for libel, amid allegations the filmmaker branded Sole "mentally disturbed" in a social media post in November (14), causing the plaintiff to suffer from anxiety and depression, reports EntLawDigest.com.

Sole is seeking damages for retaliation, negligent and reckless failure to provide plaintiff with a safe work environment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, invasion of privacy, libel and bad faith, among other charges.

Representatives for Perry's production firm have declined to comment on the lawsuit.