Rosario Dawson and members of her family are being sued by a transgender man who alleges they harassed him over his sexual identity and then physically assaulted him.
The lawsuit, which was filed in a Los Angeles court last Friday, alleges Dawson, who is dating presidential candidate Cory Booker, and three family members violated Dedrek Finley’s rights by discriminating against him.
Finley, 55, moved from New York to Los Angeles in December 2017 to “renovate and remodel Rosario’s personal residence,” according to the lawsuit. He later moved into a property owned by the family.
After revealing himself to be a trans man, Finley alleges “the family misgendered him multiple times each day, with deliberate indifference as to the appropriate way to address Mr. Finley.” The suit also accuses Dawson of acting “with deliberate indifference and did nothing to correct the situation.”
Finley was then ordered to move out but refused, citing there were no legal grounds for his eviction. He also accused Dawson and her mother of dragging him out of a window and then assaulting him on April 28, 2018.
“Once Mr. Finley was lying helpless on the ground outside, Isabel, who is substantially larger than Mr. Finley, got on top of Mr. Finley’s body and began punching him,” the lawsuit states. “While beating Mr. Finley, Isabel screamed, ‘You’re not so much of a man now,’ which was a clear and denigrating reference to Mr. Finley’s gender identity.”
The actress allegedly assisted in the assault by restraining him while he was on the ground. Finley was granted a temporary restraining order against the elder Dawson.
[Previous coverage: Rosario Dawson finally joining beau Cory Booker on the campaign trail]
