Who is John Bigrigg? Ex-LAPD cop's testimony could make Johnny Depp's Gregg Brooks problem go away
Johnny Depp’s forthcoming trial, where Gregg Brooks has accused the 58-year-old actor of punching him twice in the ribs on the set of ‘City of Lies’ back in April 2017, could be in the favor of the actor as a retired LAPD veteran John Bigrigg has come forward to speak as a key witness.
Location manager Brooks claimed their dispute started because Depp allegedly punched him right on his ribcage, reported Radar citing court documents related to the case. It all started when they were shooting past the time of their permit. He said that director Brad Furman asked him to give Depp the bad news that he would not have enough time to finish the scene because "the clock was about to run out… " and that’s what incited the alleged assault. To which, the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor, who recently won a defamation case against Amber Heard, denied those claims and said he acted in “self-defense” and that Brooks had “provoked” the alleged dispute. Radar reported earlier that Depp’s behavior on the 'City of Lies' set had already caused tensions, with leaked daily production reports detailing a series of absences and incidents where he failed to show up for work at all, costing up to a million dollars in lost filming days.
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Gregg, who is also known as Rocky, said that Depp's “intoxication and temper” on set “created a hostile, abusive and unsafe work environment” and that the assault caused him “emotional distress” and “humiliation”. His lawsuit also states that the actor offered him $100,000 to punch him in the face after the incident.
Who is John Bigrigg?
The 35-year-old is a former Green Beret and a retired veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department who was working with the LA Film Unit at the time of the alleged assault. According to an exclusive tape that Radar has received, he is heard telling an investigator on the tape about the incident. He says, "I walked over to where the disturbance was, and it was already over. Neither of the combatants showed no sign of wear, complained of injuries, or said that they wanted to press charges." And further said, "It was a minor squabble, and I took it in a humorous light. And, if my recollection serves me right, Rocky told me that if Johnny ever tried to fight him, he’d put him on his back."
On the other hand, investigator Paul Barresi, who was in charge of the case, said that after interviewing multiple witnesses, the only testimony he found genuine was of former cop Bigrigg. “Let’s call it like it is in the real world. Everybody I interviewed on that set had something to lose and nothing to gain by telling me that Johnny assaulted Brooks. So, for this reason, I deemed them all unreliable witnesses. The one person I did interview, however, whose statements I am confident that I could take to the bank, was John Bigrigg.”
Camille Vasquez steps in again to defend Depp
Depp is set to be represented in court by attorney Camille Vasquez for the second time. Vasquez represented Depp in his defamation case against Amber Heard for the first time, in which the jury found both Depp and Heard responsible but awarded Depp more in damages.
Brooks is trying to seek “unspecific damages”, whereas Vasquez is in talks to settle the matter out of court. However, even if Brooks disagrees, Depp still has an important eye witness who can turn the tables and give a chance to victory.