Sean Penn has filed a USD 10 million defamation lawsuit against "Empire" creator Lee Daniels for comparing him to Terrence Howard.
Daniels made the comparison while discussing the domestic violence allegations against Howard.
The complaint, filed Tuesday in New York Supreme Court, asserts that Penn was falsely accused of hitting women by being likened to "Empire" star Terrence Howard, said the Hollywood Reporter.
"(Terrence) ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some ... Demon," Daniels had told THR in reference to to Howard's recent legal troubles.
"That's a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America," Daniels had said.
Penn, in his complaint, says that while Howard has publicly admitted to physically abusing women, Daniels statements are "egregious" on several levels.
"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," the complaint reads.
