Johnny Depp Files $50 Million Defamation Suit Against Amber Heard
Johnny Depp has filed a defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million. He claimed that her domestic abuse allegations are “an elaborate hoax,” reports The Blast.
“Ms. Heard purported to write from the perspective of ‘a public figure representing domestic abuse’ and claimed that she ‘felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out’ when she ‘spoke up against sexual violence.'” The lawsuit refers to Heard’s piece from the The Washington Post in December 2018.
In the article, the Aquaman actress recounted her experiences as a public figure representing domestic abuse who “felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women” after choosing to speak out.
Heard wrote, “Friends and advisers told me I would never again work as an actress — that I would be blacklisted. A movie I was attached to recast my role. I had just shot a two-year campaign as the face of a global fashion brand, and the company dropped me.” She said that even her role as “Mera” in the Justice League and Aquaman movies was in jeopardy due to her vocal objections of domestic violence.
Among various allegations of abuse, Heard claimed in court documents that one night she and Depp got into a heated altercation, which allegedly resulted in him inflicting a bruise near her eye. Heard alleged that the bruises were caused by Depp throwing a cell phone at her face, according to a report by Entertainment Tonight.
Heard said that the two had a “peaceful conversation” about the death of Depp’s mother when he allegedly “began obsessing about something that was untrue and his demeanor changed dramatically.”
A friend allegedly heard the confrontation over the phone when the couple called her and called 911 at Heard’s request.
In the court documents, Heard claimed that Depp grabbed the cell phone, “wound up his arm like a baseball pitcher and threw the cell phone at me striking my cheek and eye with great force.” The report continued, with Heard alleging that he pulled back her hair, struck her, and violently grabbed her face.
LAPD officers who responded to the incident said they found no evidence of a crime. Heard claimed it was only a verbal dispute at the time. According to the LAPD, she did not mention Depp’s name, and he was not present when police arrived at the scene.
Depp claimed in the suit that Heard is a perpetrator of domestic abuse, not the victim. The suit said she is pulling an elaborate hoax to get positive publicity to “advance her career.”
“Ms. Heard also knew that her elaborate hoax worked: as a result of her false allegations against Mr. Depp, Ms. Heard became a darling of the #MeToo movement, was the first actress named a Human Rights Champion of the United Nations Human Rights Office, was appointed ambassador on women’s rights at the American Civil Liberties Union, and was hired by L’Oreal Paris as its global spokesperson,” said Depp’s attorney.
Heard filed for divorce from Depp on May 23, 2016.
Johnny Depp Goes After Amber Heard With $50M Defamation Suit; Says Abuse Claims Were “Hoax” After WaPo Op-Ed https://t.co/EoMwMWtnqX pic.twitter.com/deOfnET2tk
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 1, 2019
