Lee Daniels Expected to Pay Sean Penn's Legal Fees

(l-r): Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images, Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

The Empire co-creator is expected to pay an undisclosed amount of the actors' legal fees in the $10 million defamation suit.

Lauren Porter Nov, 05, 2015

Sean Penn is trying to take a bite out of Lee Daniels’ Empire.

Deadline reports that the hit series co-creator has agreed to pay the actor’s legal fees in their defamation lawsuit.

While the dollar amount is being kept under raps, the pay out seems to be a small victory for the Penn counsel. Additionally, Daniels’ withdrew a Notice of Removal with the courts to have the case moved to federal court. The matter will remain remanded to the Supreme Court of New York.

Matthew Rosengart, Penn’s attorney, commented on the matter: “We are pleased, but not surprised, that the defendant agreed to withdraw his petition to move the case because, as we maintained all along, their removal effort was baseless.”

SEAN PENN SUES LEE DANIELS FOR $10 MILLION IN DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

The actor and director have been in a legal battle since September after Daniels compared Terrence Howard’s recent domestic violence admission to Penn’s alleged history of assault.

“That poor boy,” Daniels said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “[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.”

A $10 Million defamation suit was filed by Penn in September against Daniels.