Many outlets have been covering the rumors that Sean Penn and Madonna are maybe back together. Penn keeps on showing up at Madonna’s concerts, and they really do seem legitimately close these days. It’s interesting timing, given the long-standing rumors about Penn allegedly abusing, threatening and assaulting Madonna back when they were married. The rumors are so long-standing that many people assume they are 100% accurate. Lee Daniels believed they were accurate.

In discussing Terrence Howard back in September, Daniels told THR: “That poor boy. [Terrence] ain’t done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he’s some f—in’ demon. That’s a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America.” As in, if Terrence Howard was a white guy like Sean Penn, Howard would be able to get away with being a serial abuser of woman (not to mention the fact that Howard is batsh-t crazy). Anyway, Sean Penn got mad and he’s suing Daniels for defamation. So far, not a lot has happened but both Penn and Daniels are all lawyered up now, and some legal stuff is percolating:

Just over a week after the Empire co-creator tried to get Sean Penn’s $10 million dollar defamation lawsuit against him moved to federal court, Lee Daniels has today backed down and paid out, it seems.

“Having considered the arguments and authorities raised in Penn’s October 22, 2015 pre-motion letter requesting a remand and having diligently met and conferred, Daniels has agreed to withdraw his Notice of Removal, and to have this matter remanded to the Supreme Court of the State of New York,” said a letter from Daniels’ lawyers filed today in federal court. “Further, the parties’ resolution includes Daniels’ payment of a confidential monetary amount to Penn consistent with the guiding principles” of the U.S. Code, it adds.

While no dollar amount was given, sources tell me that the payment by Daniels was for Penn’s legal fees, as the Oscar winner’s primary attorney Mathew Rosengart requested on October 22. A proposed order to Judge Edgardo Ramos was submitted today as well formally moving the matter back to the N.Y State courts.

Citing that Penn lives in California and he resides in New York, Daniels submitted a request for removal in both the NY Supreme Court and federal court on October 21. This was their first response to the Mystic River actor’s September 22 multi-million dollar complaint based on an interview Daniels gave implying Penn abused women.

A day later Penn’s lawyer hit back pointing out that the federal statute doesn’t let a civil action be shifted to another court if the defendant lives in the state where the initial suit has been filed – as Daniels does. Before today’s resolution, the two sides were scheduled to go head-to-head in Judge Ramos courtroom on November 10. Now they are saving their powder for state court.

[From Deadline]

As in… nothing has really been resolved, but Daniels’ legal team seems to be coming in weaker than expected, and they’ve already agreed to pay Penn’s legal fees. Usually – it seems to me? – that’s the kind of thing that would be worked out AFTER you go to court, or after you reach some kind of out-of-court settlement. Personally, I don’t think either Penn or Daniels are coming from a place of strength, and it wouldn’t surprise me if both sides are able to work out some kind of deal in which Daniels, say, donates $1 million to Penn’s Haiti charity and offers some kind of public statement/apology to Penn.

Photos courtesy of WENN.