Johnny Depp's Lawyers Say Amber Heard Faked Abuse
Amid insults and accusations, Johnny Depp's attorneys take the firm stance that Amber Heard faked her domestic abuse allegations against her ex-husband to advance her acting career. The controversy between the Fantastic Beasts actor and Aquaman lead surfaced in 2016 when Heard filed for divorce, accusing Depp of abusing her throughout their marriage. While Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling defended Depp's casting in the Fantastic Beasts film and its sequel around the time of the divorce, other creatives and fans online were not so eager to back up the actor. Even after a pricey settlement full of clauses meant to protect both individuals' integrity post-breakup, Heard had more to say.
Her 2018 Washington Post op-ed — while not calling Depp out by name — branded her as a new face in the movement against domestic violence and further discredited Depp in the public eye. Hollywood effectively barred Depp from new high-profile roles, and the larger-than-life performer succumbed to starring in a few international and independent projects like Minamata. Warner Bros. even asked him to resign from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and he was later replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. Depp sued Heard for defamation in 2019 in response to the WaPo article, and that trial is now officially underway.
Related: Why Johnny Depp Was Recast As Grindelwald In Fantastic Beasts 3
Today marks day one of a defamation trial expected to last six weeks, and vicious accusations are already coming out. ET Canada reports that Depp's attorneys, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, argue that the timing of the WaPo op-ed after the peak of the #MeToo movement and before the release of Aquaman (in which Heard played
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