Johnny Depp slams Amber Heard's abuse claims as 'new lies', demands evidence from her friends and ex Elon Musk
In recent updates on the feud between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor has actively denied all allegations of abuse that she slammed against him, claiming that they are just "new lies".
The 55-year-old actor's attorney issued a statement after 32-year-old Heard claimed that Depp would become "the Monster" under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to court documents obtained by People. Her latest court filing was in response to a $50 million defamation lawsuit Depp filed against Heard.
"A hoax confronted with the reality of evidence requires new lies to sustain itself," said Depp’s attorney in a statement, reported People. "Yesterday’s filing, made by a woman with a prior arrest and incarceration for domestic abuse, presented Amber Heard's new lies." Back in 2009, Heard was arrested for an alleged domestic violence incident with her then-girlfriend Tasya van Ree, but charges were eventually dropped and as Tasya shared in 2016, the situation was "misinterpreted" and denied any domestic abuse.
In her court filings, Heard claimed the Depp had repeatedly hit her, ripped her hair out, and had even choked her. According to her allegations, Depp "would become a totally different person, often delusional and violent. We called that version of Johnny, 'the Monster'," revealed the court documents. Heard also shared her side of the story, saying in March 2015, she had pushed the actor "in defense" after fearing that he could push her younger sister, Whitney, down the stairs of his Los Angeles home. "I punched Johnny in the face to draw his attention away from her," Heard said in court documents. "That was the only time I ever hit Johnny."
Depp has denied ever abusing Heard and claimed that she was the one who abused him. In a new statement, his attorney said: "Despite yesterday's claim 'that was the only time I ever hit Johnny' concocted to explain our evidence of time-stamped photos of what she did to Johnny Depp’s face after he was late to her birthday party, in fact, Ms. Heard grudgingly admitted in her sworn deposition to multiple instances of violence against Mr. Depp."
The former couple had married in 2015, and in May 2016, Heard filed for a domestic violence restraining order against him, accusing him of abusing her. Even though Depp denied the claims, they decided to settle their divorce out of court in August 2016 for $7 million, and also signed NDAs barring them from talking about their relationship publicly. However, when Heard wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post in December 2018, describing being an alleged victim of domestic violence, Depp sued her for defamation, calling her allegations a "hoax" even though she hadn't named Depp in her piece.
Depp denied all the allegations in the defamation lawsuit saying he "never abused Ms. Heard. Her allegations against him were false when they were made in 2016. They were part of an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Ms. Heard and advance her career."
In response, Heard's rep said in a statement: "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."
Depp is suing for both compensatory damage for the op-ed and also punitive damages for the "willfulness and maliciousness that Ms. Heard demonstrated when she knowingly published the op-ed with the false implication that Mr. Depp violently abused her."
As of now, Depp is also demanding evidence from Heard's friends, including her ex, Elon Musk, as his attorney shared with New York Post. Depp's attorney told the publication's website Page Sixx: "We have now issued subpoenas to Amber Heard, her hoax assisting friends, Elon Musk and other witnesses to explain the avalanche of video, audio, photographic and testimonial evidence with which we intend to confront them."