Sean Penn has filed a $10 million defamation lawsuit against Empire co-creator Lee Daniels over the Precious director’s recent comments in The Hollywood Reporter.
Last week, The Hollywood Reporter published an interview with Daniels, who defended Empire star Terrence Howard. The actor has faced offscreen dramas and has been accused of domestic abuse.
“That poor boy... [Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some f***in' demon,” Daniels told THR. “That's a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America.”
Daniels was probably referring to Penn’s marriage to Madonna, which ended in 1989. He allegedly physically abused the singer before she filed for divorce.
Penn claims that these allegations are false and is suing Daniels for bringing them up.
“As a result of Penn's status as a public figure, he has for years been the subject of scandalous, scurrilous, and baseless attacks,” the first paragraph of the complaint reads. “But Penn, like any citizen, has a right to defend himself and will no longer tolerate the reckless and malicious behavior of others, who seek to aggrandize themselves or their projects at his expense. Accordingly, and because of Daniels' defamatory statements, Penn brings this action for monetary relief, and to deter Daniels and others from their defamatory actions.”
Penn’s attorneys also accuse Daniels of approving of Howard’s actions and acknowledging that the actor is guilty. Daniels’ comments were made “apparently part of a misguided campaign to profit and further bolster and brand his show Empire (on the eve of the Emmy Awards, when the statements were made),” the complaint alleges.
Lastly, the complaint claims that, “Daniels falsely equates Penn with Howard, even though, while he has certainly had several brushes with the law, Penn (unlike Howard) has never been arrested, much less convicted, for domestic violence, as his ex-wives (including Madonna) would confirm and attest.”
You can read the full complaint here, via THR.
Daniels’ reps have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
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