Johnny Depp is taking
Amber Heard to court over her allegations of domestic abuse.
According to multiple outlets, the actor is accusing his former wife, who he was married to for less than two years, of defamation of character. He claims that the alleged domestic abuse Heard detailed in a Washington Post perspective was all part of an "elaborate hoax."
"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 court documents allege.
He concedes that she never explicitly mentioned him by name, however he claims her op-ed "depends on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her."
Moreover, Depp's lawsuit against the star alleges that it was not him who committed acts of domestic violence, but Amber. "Ms. Heard violently abused Mr. Depp, just as she was caught and arrested for violently abusing her former domestic partner," the court documents read.
As for her motivations behind the alleged false allegations, the Pirates of the Carribean star claims that she concocted her story in the hopes of generating "positive publicity" and to "advance her career."
He backs up his assertions that he is innocent by claiming that her abuse claims were "conclusively refuted by two separate responding police officers, a litany of neutral third-party witnesses, and 87 newly obtained surveillance camera videos."
The lawsuit claims that Amber's alleged decision to fabricate claims of domestic abuse resulted in numerous opportunities that wouldn't have been possible beforehand. "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," the lawsuit alleges.
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp's career allegedly faced losses as a consequence of Heard's actions. He claims that days after she published her piece in the Washington Post he was dropped from his role on Pirates of the Carribean.
Because of the alleged damage to his career Depp is suing Heard for defamation and asking for damages in excess of $50,000,000.
In response to the lawsuit, Heard's attorney Eric M. George is issuing a statement that reads in full: "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's attorney Adam Waldman responded in a statement, "'They want to silence Amber Heard' doesn't sound like a denial by Ms. Heard of Mr. Depp's 40-page, evidence-packed complaint. We hardly intend to silence Ms. Heard—to the contrary, we intend to subpoena and compel evidence from her, her three hoax-assisting friends, and Elon Musk. We look forward to holding the overwhelming video, photographic and eyewitness evidence we finally possess up against Amber Heard's (so far silent) attempts to explain the inexplicable."