Madonna Knows About Those Sean Penn Abuse Allegations, and Now She's Speaking Out
Her ex-husband is suing Lee Daniels for defamation.
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After decades of rumors, Madonna is setting the record straight about her ex-husband Sean Penn, clarifying that he never laid a hand on her and calling one allegation in particular "completely outrageous, reckless, and false."
To bring you up to speed, Penn is suing Empire creator Lee Daniels for $10 million after he alleged in an interview that the actor was abusive towards women.
In a document obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Madonna said the following:
"I am aware of the allegations that have surfaced over the years accusing Sean of incidents of physical assault and abuse against me. Specifically, I am aware of the allegations concerning an alleged incident that occurred in June, 1987, whereby (according to tabloid reports), Sean allegedly struck me with a 'baseball bat.' I know the allegations in those and other reports to be completely outrageous, reckless, and false.
"I am also aware of allegations concerning an incident that occurred in December, 1989, which purportedly resulted in Sean's arrest for domestic assault and battery against me. I know those allegations to be false," she continues. "While we certainly had more than one heated argument during our marriage, Sean has never struck me, 'tied me up,' or physically assaulted me, and any report to the contrary is completely outrageous, malicious, reckless, and false."
Many believe the second instance Madonna is referring to occurred on December 28, 1988, when she went to the Malibu sheriff's office and filed a complaint that Penn assaulted her. While Penn was charged with battery, she withdrew the complaint a week later.
Currently, Daniels is citing the First Amendment as he fights to get the lawsuit dismissed.
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Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.
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