1986 Madonna and Sean Penn (Photo : Getty Images)
There were rumors that actor Sean Penn was allegedly an abusive husband toward wife Madonna. The speculations include Penn tying up the "Like A Virgin" singer.
However, Madonna debunked the speculations in a statement she submitted to a court to support a $10 million defamation lawsuit that the actor filed in fall against Lee Daniels, creator of "Empire." The lawsuit is in response to a statement made by Daniels to The Hollywood Reporter in September, reports USA Today.
Daniels referred to the lawsuit filed against Terrence Howard, star of "Empire," by his former wife Michelle Howard who claims that Terrence physically abused her in 2013. Referring to Howard's lawsuit, Daniels was quoted as saying, "{Howard) ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some (expletive) demon."
In her sworn statement, Madonna cited an alleged incident in June 1987 when Sean is said to have hit her with a baseball bat. These rumors are "completely outrageous, malicious, reckless and false." She admits that during their five-year marriage, from 1985 to 1989, they had over one heated argument. However, she denied that Sean ever tied up or physically assaulted her.
Penn, in the lawsuit against Daniels, stressed he would no longer agree to being accused of committing violence against women in the past. While Howard admits to hitting women, Penn notes that Daniels apparently approved of his star's behavior.
Penn points out that he has no record of conviction or arrest for domestic violence and points to Madonna as a witness to that, unlike Howard. The former couple are now friends, and Madonna has acknowledged this when Penn attended her concerts in 2014.
The couple met when Penn visited Madonna on the set for the video "Material Girl." They married in 1985. In 1986, while on the set of "Shanghai Surprise," Penn admits in a biography that he assaulted Leonel Borralho, a stringer for the Hong Kong Standard, because the photographer took a picture of Madonna in Macau. Penn was jailed for the incident but escaped the cell, which was left open, and fled Macau.
But Daniels, who sought dismissal of Penn's lawsuit, says what he said was not defamatory. He accused Penn of attempting to gag his honestly held opinion by suing him. However, Matthew Rosengart, Penn's lawyer, says that Daniel's statements are not protected by the First Amendment.
