Johnny Depp sues Amber Heard for $50 million
Johnny Depp has filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard after she accused him of domestic violence.
The 55-year-old actor described Heard's 2016 abuse allegations as 'an elaborate hoax', according to the lawsuit obtained by The Blast. The lawsuit references an article Heard, 32, wrote for the Washington Post in December last year in which she said she had received death threats and lost out on work after accusing Depp of domestic abuse.
"The op-ed's clear implication that Depp is a domestic abuser is categorically and demonstrably false," Depp's lawsuit states. "Depp 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," the lawsuit added.
The lawsuit goes on to say that the allegations made by Heard against Depp were refuted by 'two separate responding police officers, a litany of neutral third-party witnesses, and 87 newly obtained surveillance camera videos'.
"Heard is not a victim of domestic abuse, she is a perpetrator,' the lawsuit states. Heard was pictured in London on Friday as news of the lawsuit broke. The Aquaman actress filed for divorce from the Pirates of the Caribbean star in May 2016 stating that he had been 'verbally and physically' abusive towards her.
Their divorce was finalized in January 2017, with Heard later donating a portion of her $7 million divorce settlement to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. They were married for 15 months before she filed for divorce.
