Sean Penn files defamation lawsuit against Lee Daniels after being compared to Empire's Terrence Howard

The war of words has escalated to a $10 million lawsuit filed by actor and director Sean Penn against Empire co-creator Lee Daniels, Entertainment Weekly reports. The lawsuit follows the statements Daniels made in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter shortly before the Emmy Awards, in which he defended the show's star, Terrence Howard, who admitted in a separate interview that he hit his first wife.

The Daily Mail reports that Howard told Rolling Stone in an interview that his wife, Lori McCommas, provoked him. He said, "She was talking to me real strong, and I lost my mind and slapped her in front of the kids." People also reports that Howard was accused of domestic violence by his second wife, Michelle Ghent, who filed a restraining order against him in 2013, although Howard claimed it was self-defense.

"[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 in defense of Howard. "That's a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America."

Penn's complaint was filed in the New York Supreme Court on Tuesday, and EW reports that Penn's lawyers claim that, "in purporting to ‘defend’ the ongoing legal and related troubles of [Howard]—who has reportedly, and publicly, admitted to physically abusing at least one woman and reportedly been arrested approximately five times for violent acts against women—Daniels has falsely asserted and/or implied that Penn is guilty of ongoing, continuous violence against women."

The Hollywood Reporter also reveals that according to the lawsuit, "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. Nor has Penn admitted to 'slap[ping]' a woman or abusing others (as Howard has also reportedly admitted, reportedly asserting that he was acting in self-defense)."

Penn's attorney, Mathew Rosengart also told People, "As asserted in the lawsuit, there is also a critical issue at stake here, which is the malicious and reckless repetition of rumors and innuendo at the expense of others. Sean has been subjected to false, baseless and reckless attacks for years, and this is only the most recent example."

The $10 million lawsuit also claims that Daniels' comments were "apparently part of a misguided campaign to profit and further bolster and brand his show Empire," seeing that he spoke out just before the Emmy Awards took place.