Sean Penn. Photo courtesy of BBC.
Summary: Sean Penn and Lee Daniels have finally settled their defamation lawsuit.
Sean Penn and Lee Daniels kinda appear to be friendly again… at least publicly that is.
Yesterday, Variety reported that the surly movie star and Empire creator reached a settlement in their eye-rolling defamation lawsuit. To recap, in September 2015, Daniels spoke about Empire’s star Terrence Howard and his legal troubles to The Hollywood Reporter. He basically said it was unfair of people to slam Howard, a known alleged domestic abuser, when stars like Sean Penn did the same thing and remain unscathed. However, Penn said all of the domestic abuse allegations against him were false, and he sued Daniels for defamation.
Actor Penn had been plagued for years with rumors that he beat up then-wife Madonna, holding her hostage one night and beating her with a baseball bat. During this case, he had the Material Girl submit documentation that the abuse never happened, and he overall seemed peeved that anyone would dare call him a wife beater.
In a joint statement, Daniels pledged to donate to Penn’s charity of choice, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The overly effusive writer also apologized in a way that seemed to be oversaturated to the point of artificial sweetness.
“I am so sorry that I have hurt you, Sean, and I apologize and retract my reckless statements about you. How thoughtless of me. You are someone I consider a friend, a brilliant actor and true Hollywood legend and humanitarian,” Daniels said.
Daniels’ friend had originally sued him for $10 million, but Variety did not state how much Daniels is donating to charity.
In the joint statement, Penn added that he accepted Daniels’ “heartfelt” apology and was appreciative of Daniels’ “generous donation” to charity.
Penn wrote, “I accept Lee’s heartfelt apology and appreciate the sincerity with which it was delivered. I also accept and appreciate his generous donation to J/P HRO, which will have a transformative effect on the lives of those we serve in Haiti.”
Mathew Rosengart of Greenberg Traurig represented Penn. James Sammatro of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan represented Daniels.
Source: Variety