'Empire' Creator Lee Daniels Pen Public Apology to Sean Penn; $10M Defamation Lawsuit Settled

Actor Sean Penn officially settled his defamation lawsuit against Lee Daniels, after he wrote a public apology to the actor post to being accused of hitting women last year. The apology did not end there, as contributions were made for the supposed offense.

As per People, Daniels penned his apologies towards Sean Penn and was quoted, "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. I too have been the subject of false attacks by others, like those made here. My most important role is as a father, and it is important to me that my children learn that it is wrong to reference gossip as fact, as I did here. That can be very damaging and hurtful." 

He 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. I apologize again for the distress that this has caused you and your family. My very best, Lee Daniels." 

After the apology, the hit musical TV show Empire co-creator then made a donation to Penn's J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The reason behind the conflict, upon recalling, goes all the way back to September, after it Penn was compared by Penn to one of Empire's protagonists, Terrence Howard; one who admitted to hitting his first wife; even including the late Marlon Brando, according to The Celebrity Cafe. 

In response to it, Penn took the statement rather heavily, and filed a 10-million-dollar defamation suit which declared Daniels falsely equating with Howard, as noted by Inquisitr. Despite having run-ins with the law, Penn was said to have never been arrested or convicted for domestic violence, even with his ex-wives such as Madonna to confirm and attest otherwise.

The music icon added further on that though the couple had clashes in the past, she was never at all mistreated badly by Penn under any circumstances. Generally, Penn was simply pleased with the apology issued by Daniels, and said that he accepts the heartfelt statements delivered with sincerity upon delivery. Furthermore, he shows great appreciation for the donations made to his foundation.

Tags

Sean Penn vs Lee Daniels, defamation case, Empire

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