Johnny Depp spent much of 2018 in a haze of drugs, liquor and indignance. He eventually came to some kind of settlement with his former managers, whom he claimed had cheated him, and there’s some kind of NDA attached to the settlement. If you remember, there was also an NDA attached to Depp’s divorce agreement with Amber Heard. We only learned some of the terms of their divorce, and that was by design. They issued one final joint statement and then they were both supposed to shut up about each other. Since their divorce, Amber has obliquely referenced being in an abusive relationship and being a survivor of abuse, but she’s been careful not to be too detailed or name names. She doesn’t have to – we already know. And in that time, Depp has given interview after interview, calling Amber a liar and trying to convince people that he would never, ever abuse anyone. Well, I guess Depp has some shady new lawyers, because this happened:
Johnny Depp has filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, alleging her domestic abuse claims were “an elaborate hoax” and he is going after her for a whopping $50 million. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Depp is taking issue with an article Heard wrote for the Washington Post in December 2018. The lawsuit states, “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.’”
Depp’s attorney acknowledges that she never mentions Depp by name, but says the entire article “depends on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.”
In the suit, Depp calls the “false allegations” against him “an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity” for her and “advance her career.” The lawsuit strongly states that she is the one attacked him, claiming, “Ms. Heard is not a victim of domestic abuse; she is a perpetrator.”
You can read the full summary here at The Blast. As I read the detailed “evidence” Depp thinks he’s providing, I was struck by something… a profound doubt that Depp remembers much about his marriage to Amber. Their relationship and marriage was when Depp largely seemed to become untethered, and he seemed to be abusing drugs and alcohol to blackout-level for much of that time. It’s not that Depp specifically remembers NOT abusing Amber, it’s that he can’t remember much of anything. All he remembers is his indignance. Anyway, I believe Amber. I always have.
One interesting/terrible accusation Depp made in the lawsuit: he believes Amber was having an affair with Elon Musk one month into their marriage. It’s clear that Amber knew Elon for a while, even before she married Depp. I think Elon wanted to be with Amber in any way. But no, I doubt she cheated. Amber’s lawyer released a statement about the lawsuit:
“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 [sic], we will prevail in defeating this groundless lawsuit and ending the continued vile harassment of my client by Mr. Depp and his legal team.”
Yeah. It IS harassment, in my opinion. I also believe that Depp’s interviews and the claims in this lawsuit are likely a direct violation of their divorce agreement and their joint NDA. So… will she countersue? Why not.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
1. This is messy af.
2. Johnny Depp is trash.
Depp cannot believe Heard left.
He was the sun around which she should orbit
She left
She told her stuff, she moved on
She gave her settlement to help other victims – if he ever paid it.
She did not look back
He cannot bear to lose control over her. This is clear
Do u honestly think if he didn’t have proof he would be perusing this? It’s career suicide if it’s not true. This girl is so much worse than him for coming out and saying she is a victim if it’s true. There’s no way he would litigate if he didn’t have substantial proof.
I realize everyone is an Amber Stan here but I suggest u all read about how she was arrested in 2009 for domestic abuse against her partner then. This girl is messy AF and everyone is championing her as a victims rights advocate when she was arrested for domestic abuse! Yes her girlfriend recounted but that’s what women do in an abusive relationship!
She shat in his bed. And no doubt had elon in their house. Wake up!!! She is toxic!
Johnny? 😆😆 You believe every one of his allegations but not hers? Amber’s ex didn’t recant anything, as she wasn’t the one accusing Amber. A cop allegedly saw Amber grab her ex’s arm. Her ex said YEARS later that she has the upmost respect for…. HER ABUSER? And Depp has been arrested multiple times for assault so let’s not even go there. He’s a long-time violent, angry, addict.
And she shat in THEIR bed? according to him! She claims it was the dog. One of Amber’s friends said the same dog shat on his bed when he was asleep and in Depp’s shoe! Just stop defending this human scarf, please. Elon’s statement denied any cheating, btw.
He’s trying to silence and punish her like an abuser keeps on doing! If he had evidence, why wait YEARS and sign a joint statement claiming she didn’t lie?
Women aren’t automatically ‘stans’ just because they reject the misogynistic narrative you’ve blindly and obviously accepted as a paid Deppdroid. Thank u, next, ROSEANNE.
Teenage me would never have believed that he could end up being this disgusting.
Ugh, right? So disappointing. He still had a rep as a kind of “rabble rouser” who trashed hotel rooms but it always ended there. When he got with Vanessa and started a family he really calmed down and embraced the quiet family life (that we know of). He was so gorgeous and talented, now he’s a cautionary tale against drugs & alcohol. I’d feel sorry for him if he wasn’t acting like such an asshole.
exactly!! Was he a bad person all this time or did he become one at some point, and if so, why?!
Yeah, I bet all that alcohol brought out the worst in Depp like it does with most alcoholics. I would like to think that he had his demons slightly more under control sober than as a sloppy drunk. Depp needs good therapy and to leave Heard alone. *sigh*
Johnny Depp looked at Brexit and thought Hold my wine? I mean WTF?
Here’s Johnny! Hollywood’s equivalent to Trump’s Wall. Narcissists will not be naysaid or denied.
At this point its continued abuse. Making her go through courts and re-live her abusive experience. Hes disgusting. #TeamAmber
This^^^^^
Yep. It’s continued abuse, and there are of course people who are going to make themselves complicit in it. #TeamAmber
This is a really great point. I agree. #TeamAmber
So messy.
The man is absolute garbage.
It sounds to me like he didn’t fare well in his case against his former management and is trying to recoup his losses by suing Amber. Jerk!
From my interactions with his loyalists, I would say that they would think the settlement meant that he was right about his management.
Frustrating, but we can’t prove otherwise.
I do think his dire finances are a reason to go for such a number.
I don’t think it’s that. She could never pay him 50 million and he knows it and if he desperately needed money he could do some commercial overseas.
With that being said, I’m sure his deluded ass blames his financial and professional issues on her and he’s looking for a way to continually hurt her. He’s trying to make her pay but not in the literal sense.
She might not have $50 million-but she did just sign up for the aquaman sequel. And the first one did well financially, so I’m guessing that he smells payday. He’s prob hoping she’ll settle so he can get some of that backend money.
I believe Amber. I have no reason not to. But if—IF—Johnny has any exonerating evidence, he should have the opportunity to present his claims in court.
Why didn’t he present said evidence during their original court case when she filed for divorce? I mean, she accused him of abuse, if he had that evidence all this time, why not present it all then? And why put out a joint statement specifically stating “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm”. Nahhhh… this guy is so hard up for money he’s filing laws suits left and right…
I’m not here to defend Johnny so I won’t speculate. I don’t know why he didn’t present it before. His own people said the evidence was newly-discovered, which I side eye, but IF there is any new evidence, he should present it in court. If he’s just jerking her around or trying to win money with a frivolous lawsuit, she should sue the heck out of him and take him for everything she can.
Exactly!
“His own people said the evidence was newly-discovered,”
Ummm, remember his “own people” are now some sketchy Russian connections. (Read and reread the Rolling Stone interview). New evidence huh? 🙄 Aside from anything else he is getting horrifically bad advice. This is now back in the spotlight because of him and him alone after having been fading…and studios will not be pleased.
I’m fairly certain that if this buffoon actually had any “evidence” against her we would have seen it long ago.
He is still abusing her.
This 100%. This is him trying to drag her back into his abusive cycle.
Exactly, Eleonor. Some abusers use litigation – and the threat of ongoing litigation – for years to abuse exes, family members, etc. He is trash. Poor Amber.
What a piece of 💩. This makes me see red. Ugh. This guy!!! I hope she counter-sues and I hope she wins. I hope some of the rats undoubtedly deserting the sinking ship that is Jonny Depp come clean and admit what they witnessed and helped to hush up.
I posted a comment on twitter, saying I side eye those who are still sucking off Johnny Depp and almost immediately others went on the attack on his behalf.
I didn’t respond; I’m happy to wait to see how this unfolds and see how well their comments age.
I do find, however, that the majority of comments I saw on articles were definitely PRO Johnny. Made me sick just reading them.
Pajiba ran a story about it this weekend and almost all of the comments were Johnny Depp defenders. I was stunned.
It’s depressing, isn’t it?
That’s not true. There were a few trolls who tried to defend Depp and they were shut down immediately. The Pajiba community stands with Amber Heard.
I bet the success of Aquaman is what really enraged him
And yeah he wants to silence her bc in the past he’s always had the power
but she’s not afraid of him or his money or cronies
he is a damn fool
I was just going to comment this. I think her success in a major franchise film has him seeing red. She was everywhere for months promoting Aquaman. Now that Disney cancelled the Pirates series that bag is gone. And his Harry Potter film being the most expensive/lowest grossing film in the franchise. I’m pretty sure he had some kind of back end deal on those films. He’s not getting nowhere near what he thought. And he feels that is Ambers fault and he has to make her pay. Just like a true abuser.
THIS!
YESSSS.
He is in trouble, I have read, it seems on Dlisted Elizabeth Moss is in talk to replace him, so he is not as rich or as payed as he used to be, and he is still abusing his ex wife who is in a succesfull franchise, he is going after HER money.
This was my first thought: that it’s because Heard is getting famous on her own that Depp chose to file a suit now. Much of Depp’s credibility stems from his own fame, and once Heard is famous as an actress, her credibility will increase. Well, if she becomes more credible in the eyes of more people, then it follows that Depp’s reputation will suffer. More and more people are going to start believing her version of events (not b/c they’re great feminists or anything but b/c they liked her in Aquaman), and that will only hurt Depp.
Typical narcissistic projection.
He’s still abusing her, just disgusting.
Is the little schitt still floating around? I hope this move cleans him out ompletly. Like all abusers, he doesn’t stop. He just changes his tactics.
Ooh ooh, have we said The Crimes of Grindeldepp yet?
He’s trash. And is it me, or is he looking a bit like kd lang? Not to insult kd lang, mind you.
I mean, if he has proof that she abused him why shouldn’t he come forward? He saying he has tons of videos and she broke his finger. Hmmm
After Jussie, I follow my gut rather than believing people automatically. My gut tells me Jonny is abusive and Amber is a master manipulator. That said, I would be surprised if Johnny is telling the truth. If he has the receipts, he needs to show them ASAP, otherwise, this is just nonsense.
Agreed, what’s wrong with going to court if he has evidence of his own ? And if she has hers she should bring it too, let the court decide
“tons of videos” that magically only materialized over two years after she made her accusation? Or if he had them all along he left that accusation sitting there for two years rather than immediately refute it and kill the story? Seriously?
Uh-huh. Sure, honey. Sure. 🙄
The tapes referred to are security camera footage at the Columbia Eastern building where they lived. The manager of the building and manager of the front desk staff pulled the footage because after the accusations of abuse came out they didn’t believe Heard had the injury until a week after the ‘altercation ‘ so they testified in depo that they wanted to double check. I read the depo testimony in the UK case but the doc I read didn’t include the video or stills they have so who knows. No doubt it will be leaked.
Classic abuser — his problems are all her fault… I’m so disgusted by these sobbing/poor me men, still enraged by the Meadows racist debacle last week, so wish the Dems had been more aggressive back. Also thinking about how way back during the Clarence Thomas hearings Biden (yes him) limited any other women from coming forward, heaven forfend it might make Thomas uncomfortable… Why are we always making room for male rage and dismissing the real hurt to women? And there should not be either NDAs or statutes of limitation on crimes like these. It all so needs to stop…
“Why are we always making room for male rage and dismissing the real hurt to women?” This times infinity.
I am fascinated as to how this will play out. This is surely a suicide mission for Depp because I am sure the attorneys will be really nasty and drag out the specifics of his skeletons of which it appears there are many. He’s ready to allow a peek behind the curtain? Their confidentiality agreement states that they’re not allowed to sue each other regarding their relationship. I know that Amber’s attorneys recently requested Arbitration over Depp’s violation of the confidentiality agreement and he ignored that request and instead sued her, I imagine, under the idea that SHE had violated the confidentiality agreement and so made it void(?) The only thing I do know is that unless this is dismissed or settled very quickly, this will be VERY MESSY FOR BOTH OF THEM. But here’s why I doubt that will happen…this is a 40 page complaint with hundreds of exhibits. What is CLEAR here is that he wants to take her down and if he goes down with her, so be it.
I’m fascinated by the mention of the video tapes he now supposedly has backing up his claim as mentioned in the article I read yesterday. I wonder where he got them? Are they magic tapes? If he had them before, wouldn’t he had introduced them in court? This also smacks a bit of jealousy on his part over Elon Musk.
He needs to leave her alone. Speaking out against one of the most beloved actors of his generation did NOT garner Amber positive publicity or a career boost — if anything it hurt her, and I’m positive she knew she was running that risk when she told her story. I will always support and believe her.
He has been talking for months about all this evidence he has against her — come out with it or get lost, dude. This IS harassment.
I think she told her story because the press was going after her for leaving him 3 days after his mother died. I think she would have preferred a quiet exit. But, the press, JD, gossip sites, paparazzi would not leave it. So she had not choice but to go full disclosure and hope it didn’t damage her career, which, lets be honest, got a boost when she married el intoxicato, more than the false narrative of why she left him in the first place.
Do I believe he threw something at her? yes. Do I believe he hit her? probably. Do I think this would happen when he was sober and clean? Probably not. Addition is not an excuse nor a reason to be a shitty human being. But it does tend to bring out the primal worst in people.
One thing I discovered when going through a bitter, acrimonious divorce and custody battle with my ex husband who was an alcoholic and who hit me (and who was diagnosed with NPD as part of a court-ordered psych eval we both did), is that the legal system is set up to punish women and to discount their experiences, and to make it very easy for men to use court filings as a way of continuing their abuse.
I live in a state (one of only two) that allows one party in a divorce to demand a jury trial for the divorce and custody. Yes that’s right–a bunch of strangers get to decide my child’s fate. My ex demanded this. My options were: 1. Represent myself (with zero legal training and minimal time to prepare) against his expensive high powered lawyer, 2. Find a way to pay for my own expensive lawyer (jury trials cost around $170k-I was making $50k a year) or 3. Settle with him on his terms.
I had to settle. After all of that, he frequently skips out on his time with our son, pays no child support (he wanted 50/50 custody so he could avoid it) and still threatens me with court proceedings over nothing if he’s in a bad mood or I question his parental decision making.
So when I read about Depp doing this to Heard, and see him using the legal system to carry out abuse and harassment, it makes me sick.
Even if she counter sues or tries to get it tossed, she’s going to have to pony up for a lawyer. Best case scenario she’s still out thousands of dollars unless she can win and get a judgement for him to cover her legal fees.
Yeah these jury trials in Texas and Arizona for custody need to be abolished
It’s completely inhumane and not remotely in the best interest of the child at all. It’s barbaric.
Yup, my dad is NPD/BPD and my parents divorce sounds very much like yours. All I can say is bravo for getting out. It’s an absolute horror to go through, but sometimes getting away has to be the priority, even though so much around it is awful and unjust. You and your son are so much better off. Sending prayers and support your way!
Thanks so much for those kind words. It was definitely the worst experience of my life and I had plenty of times when I wondered whether I would’ve been better off continuing to walk on eggshells and try to keep things functional long enough to amass more money. But 6 years on, the first y had settled, my son is thriving, and my career has taken off. The ex continues to behave badly but now I just document and disengage which is all you can do with a narcissist.
I often see people asking “why doesn’t she just leave?” in cases of abuse but it’s so freaking hard and expensive and terrifying. I’m not sure if I knew what I would have to go through legally I would have been strong enough to make that step toward the exit.
Anyhow, I appreciate the kindness! I’m training to staff a volunteer DV hotline now (I have about 6 weeks left) because I finally feel like I’m in a place where I want to help other women in my shoes.
Lindy I just want to tell you that you are a strong person for going through that nightmare and good for you (and your son) for getting out of it. You saved your and your child’s lives and you should be really proud of that, and building a new life that is sane and healthy. It’s inspiring that you want to volunteer at a hotline, you will help save other women’s lives there I’m sure.
Doesn’t he fancy himself a rock star now? Last I read he was touring with Joe Perry. He is so disgusting with his victim mentality. Classic narcissist. I can’t believe I was ever a fan.
I don’t usually just blindly believe women, because I believe in fair processes and both sides getting heard, but in this case: #teamAmber all the way. I have no doubt that this guy is a raging a-hole and no matter who she is and what her ambitions are, she does not deserve this.
This is the same kind of harassment and abuse Nick Loeb is using to control Sophia Vergara.Dragging Amber through the courts with his BS accusations just keeps her in the cycle of abuse and keeps him involved in her life.He is punishing her for leaving him and outing his behaviour. Teenage me would never have believed it, but looking back now, he was engaged about 5 times before he met Vanessa Paradis and seemed to settle down. He’s clearly never been stable. He’s made a mess of his life and career and is trying to blame the women who called him out for his abuse. I saw him on Graham Norton a while back and he looked drunk and dirty and was talking in a weird, fake sounding accent. He was a disaster. Poor Amber. I hope she counter sues.
This dirt bag should sue his barber if he’s going to sue anybody
But back to this can of bullshit he’s opening – did he ever pay Amber the money that he owed her after their divorce? The last I heard he was trying to pay it directly to a charity a few $$ at a time instead of giving the entire lump directly to Amber like he was ordered to do
Did he ever pay his divorce settlement to her?
This is awful and reflects poorly on him..
This is harassment, he is pissed that her movie did so well around the world and how she is involved in humanitarian causes so he is trying to hurt her again the only way he can.
Legal system is not a fair ground for victims and survivers, making amber heard go over all of this again it is so unfair.
I hope karma will finish Johnny Depp soon.
The rolling stone interview with him was very telling about this guy’s mental state. He’s pathetic. Even when he was hanging with Hunter S Thompson etc he has always just been LARP-ing at being this cool thoughtful badass when really he has like no substance underneath. Just SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
I was always giving this a wait and see attitude … because I truly thought Amber married him to further her career. Having said that, the fact that she donated all of her settlement to charity didn’t gel with who I thought she was. Johnny, on the other hand, IS who I thought he was. A useless TOOL. He can’t stand that she got away from him and aired his dirty laundry. Let’s see what shakes out in court … but I’m betting it never goes to trial. Drunky Drunk should save his $$ for his inevitable bankruptcy.
I think Amber *is* an opportunist, and likely donated her money as part of an attempt to snag Elon Musk. I do think she’s pretty awful on her own (libertarian, Ayn Rand fan?, Australian dog incident, etc).
That said, she could be the worst gold digger on earth and she still wouldn’t deserve to be abused. Which of course he did- he can’t even articulate a real denial.
What? Elon and Amber were friends before they got together. He wanted to meet her after doing the same movie. And SHE left Elon. What gold-digger leaves a billionaire?
The best thing JD could do is to go to rehab for a few months, get sober, clean up his act and try to resume what is left of his career. Forget lawsuits…get sober and move forward.
He used to be my absolute FAVORITE. I’m going to preserve the memory of young Johnny Depp. New Johnny is a total POS. Why won’t he just leave her alone?
Several months later, I re-checked IMDb, and he has movies lined up like no one else in Hollywood. It’s just one big enabling machine.
If I remember right, NDA’s don’t apply to lawsuits. It might be just criminal cases and not civil. Not sure.
He’s claiming she cut his finger off when she threw a wine bottle at him. This is why I’m sure he’s lying. His people would have anonymously given that story to the press long ago if it were true.
I am wrong. NDA’s aren’t valid in criminal cases only if they cover something illegal.
The inside story is Depp is suing The Sun and Amber has just agreed to help them against Depp. He’s scared and trying to silence her. And he’s an abuser still abusing. She’s free, happy and successful without him and his life/career is circling the drain. Everything bad in his life is her fault. He’s surrounded by some equally terrible people, giving him terrible advice.
Actually, she said through her attorneys that unless she was released, by Depp, from the confidentiality agreement, then she would not testify in the UK case. There was a hearing on that case with the judge’s decision as follows: “I am not satisfied on the current evidence that Ms Heard’s concerns about the restrictions that the divorce agreement imposes on her are well-founded.” and the judge continued: “Depp had stated clearly in his evidence to the court that he expects Heard “may well” give evidence in the proceedings, and “he will not attempt to prevent that”.” He added: “The fact that Ms Heard presently thinks that there is some impediment to her giving evidence for the defendants is nothing to do with Mr Depp.”
“Even if she were right, there would appear to be a number of ways of resolving the issue that have not yet been explored adequately or at all.”
Basically she should have no fear in testifying in the UK case, especially because she now has to defend herself in the Los Angeles case. We should expect to hear from her to prove the Sun’s “defense of truth”
I don’t like Amber, she seems like an insufferable person and is a dreadful actress. But the idea that she benefitted from telling her story against him is just ludicrous. She gained nothing of any import, and has dealt with, to quote Queen Latifah in Hairspray, “A whole lot of ugly from an endless parade of stupid.”
I think they were both terrible to each other in their marriage, but when he put his hands on her, she got out and he can’t handle being the one who gets left. Add being broke, practically uncastable (seriously, every character is a version of Jack Sparrow now), and he’s out for her blood and humiliation.
tl;dr…even as an absolute non-fan of Amber, I totally see him as a snake in all this. He needs to sit down, shut up, get sober, and start over.