Better watch what you say about Sean Penn. The actor is suing "Empire" creator Lee Daniels for defamation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the 55-year-old "Dead Man Walking" actress hit Daniels with a $10 million defamation suit, claiming that the producer and director defamed him when he compared him to "Empire" actor Terrence Howard, who had admitted to hitting two of his wives.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last week, Daniels compared Howard's domestic violence history to Penn and Marlon Brando's, saying, "[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some f---in' demon. That's a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America."
In his 10-page complaint filed in New York Supreme Court on Tuesday, Penn claimed that Daniels was wrong to compare him with Howard. In his complaint, Penn is described as "one of this generation's most highly-acclaimed and greatest artists and humanitarians."
"As a result of Penn's status as a public figure, he has for years been the subject of scandalous, scurrilous, and baseless attacks," Penn's complaint reads (via THR). "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."
The statement continued, "Third, and most problematic. 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 (Madonna) would confirm and attest."
The suit called Daniels' statements "egregious" and said that "in his purported 'defense' of Howard, Daniels acknowledged Howard's guilt and also seems to condone Howard's reported misconduct." Penn claimed that Daniels' comments are "apparently part of a misguided campaign to profit and further bolster and brand his show Empire."
Daniels' comments were referring to Penn's four-year marriage to Madonna. During the time various reports claimed that Penn abused her. According to the Daily Mail, in December 1988, Penn reportedly tied his then-wife to a chair and beat her for nine hours before she managed to escape and flee to a nearby police station. He was charged with felony domestic assault, which he pleaded down to a misdemeanor charge.
A rep for Daniels has not responded to Penn's lawsuit.
