Sean Penn has settled his lawsuit against “Empire” co-creator Lee Daniels, who accused the actor of hitting women in a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The American film and television producer has released an official statement apologizing for his remarks. “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 wrote in a joint statement with Penn.
Daniels added, “domestic violence is a very serious issue. My comments were cavalier; it was not my intention to diminish the severity of the issue, but rather to express a view regarding the disparate treatment of men of color in our national conversation.”
In response, Penn thanked the award-winner director for his apology and “generous donation” to his charity J/P HRO. “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.”;
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The apology puts an end to the lawsuit which began last September when Penn filed a $10 million defamation suit against Daniels after Terrence Howard admitted to hitting his wife. “That poor boy,”; Daniels said. “[Terrence] ain’t done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he’s some f***ing demon. That’s a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America.”;
Penn’s suit claimed that “Daniels falsely [equated] 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.”;