Johnny Depp has filed a defamation lawsuit against ex-wife and Aquaman star Amber Heard for $50 million over domestic abuse allegations.
According to The Blast, and the court documents they had access to, Johnny Depp is accusing Amber Heard of defaming him on an article she wrote for The Washington Post in December of 2018. The documents state that:
“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.’”
Johnny Depp’s attorney Adam Waldman recognizes that Amber Heard never refers to him in the article but it “depends on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.”
Also in the suit, Johnny Depp calls the allegedly false allegations against him are “an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity [for her and] advance her career. [Also that] Ms. Heard is not a victim of domestic abuse; she is a perpetrator.”
This feud between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard came to light on May 21, 2016, when she claimed he attacked her. Johnny Depp claims that a neighbor interacted with her the following days and couldn’t find any signs of aggression on Amber Heard’s face. Also, two police officers testified under oath that they couldn’t find any aggressions on Amber Heard’s face on the 21st either. Soon after an employee of the former couple’s building testified under oath stating that she saw Whitney Heard, Amber Heard’s sister, pretend to punch her in the face and laugh after it.
According to Waldman, this incident would damage Jonnhy Depp’s career because soon after he was dropped from the new Pirates Of The Caribbean project. Waldman also said:
“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.”
After receiving the lawsuit, Amber Heard’s attorney Eric George told The Blast that:
“This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp’s repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard. She will not be silenced. Mr. Depp’s actions prove he is unable to accept the truth of his ongoing abusive behavior. But while he appears hell-bent on achieving self-destruction, we will prevail in defeating this groundless lawsuit and ending the continued vile harassment of my client by Mr. Depp and his legal team.”
Aquaman, the DCEU’s latest movie, is now playing theaters. Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm / Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director, James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be… a king.
Following Aquaman, which is now playing, the DCEU continues in April with Shazam! on April 5, 2019, which will be followed by Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, and Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020. A standalone Joker film set outside of the DC Films universe starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime is also set to hit theaters October 4, 2019.
Source: The Blast