Lawsuit Claims Rosario Dawson Harassed, Misgendered Trans Employee

A trans man who once worked for Rosario Dawson has reportedly sued the actress, alleging abuse and discrimination from Dawson and members of her family.

According to TMZ, Dedrek Finley says he had a longstanding relationship with Dawson and her family and came out to them after moving out to Los Angeles to work with them. That didn't go over well, Finley claims in court filings, alleging that they routinely used his previous name and female pronouns while he worked with them.

After complaining to Dawson about the mistreatment, Finley claims she told him, "You're a grown woman" and was dismissive of his issues with being misgendered and deadnamed.

But Finley claims matters escalated in April 2018. He had reportedly been staying on the family's property at the time and was soon slated to move out after his hours had been cut. The family expected Finley to do renovations on the home while residing with them. On April 28, Dawson's mother, Isabel, allegedly knocked on Finley's door and threatened to kill his cat after he opted not to discuss the ongoing dispute.

In the lawsuit, Finley alleges Isabel ripped a window screen, pulled him, and began punching him while screaming, "You're not so much of a man now." Rosario herself got involved, he claims, and helped pin him down so her mother could continue the attack.

Finley says he escaped to call 911 and sought treatment at a nearby hospital before placing a restraining order on Isabel.

The alleged incident is said to have taken place mere weeks before Dawson came out as bisexual in an Instagram post during Pride Month 2018. During the same period, Dawson played a recurring role on Jane the Virgin as part of a queer storyline in which her flirty interactions with Petra (Yael Grobglas) prompted the character to recognize her attraction to women.

Dawson had also been actively raising awareness about sexual abuse as part of the evolving #MeToo movement and shared her story of being molested as a child.

TMZ reports that Finley is suing Rosario, her mother, stepfather, and uncle for assault, battery, trespass, discrimination, civil rights, and labor violations. The actress and her relatives have yet to comment about the allegations on social media, and this story will be updated if they do.

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