Madonna: Sean Penn Never Assaulted Me

Madonna says Sean Penn never assaulted her during their tempestuous marriage in the '80s and it's "outrageous" for anybody to claim otherwise. Madonna is supporting Penn in his $10 million defamation lawsuit against director Lee Daniels, who Penn says falsely accused him of domestic violence, People reports. "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," Madonna said in an affidavit obtained by the Hollywood Reporter.

The lawsuit has been amended to include statements from Madonna saying that allegations that Penn hit her with a baseball bat in 1987 and was arrested for beating her up in 1989 are completely false, THR notes. The amended lawsuit rejects Daniels' argument that the allegations are protected by the First Amendment. The amendment "is not absolute," the lawsuit states. "Just as it does not protect a person from 'shouting fire in a crowded theater,' it also does not protect defamatory conduct." In other recent statements, Madonna has defended her ex-husband as "a caring, compassionate individual, as well as an extremely talented actor, creative artist, and philanthropist," People reports. (More Madonna stories.)