Court documents obtained by Refinery29 detail Amber Heard’s accusations of alleged abuse against her now ex-husband Johnny Depp.
The court documents are in response to a 2018 lawsuit against Heard filed by Depp after Heard wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post claiming to be a domestic abuse survivor. Depp was not named in the op-ed, which discusses the public's reaction to Heard speaking out about abuse.
The actor alleges all accusations of abuse against him are false. As Depp believes he is alluded to in Heard's op-ed, he is seeking $50 million dollars in damages.
Heard, who filed a restraining order against Depp in 2016, responded to the lawsuit by providing more details of the alleged abuse she suffered. She claims in the documents that Depp was routinely violent when drinking or using drugs, which Heard says he started doing about a year or so into their relationship. (She claims he was sober when they got together initially, around 2012.) The actress details multiple alleged incidents in which Depp, while allegedly in a high or drunk state, became physically aggressive and violent with her.
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One such alleged incident included Depp lashing out at Heard while on a plane. According to Heard, the interaction started over a romantic scene Heard had filmed with James Franco in a movie. The incident allegedly occurred in May 2014.
“Johnny began to throw objects at me. Instead of reacting to his behaviour, I simply moved seats. That didn’t stop him. He provocatively pushed a chair at me as I walked by, yelled at me, and taunted me by yelling out the name ‘James Franco,’” the documents read. "At some point, I stood up, and Johnny kicked me in the back, causing me to fall over. Johnny threw his boot at me while I was on the ground. Johnny continued to scream obscenities until he went into the plane bathroom and passed out locked in the bathroom for the remainder of the flight.”
Depp allegedly apologized for the incident in a text message.
Heard also described Depp’s allegedly violent behaviour while the pair was in Australia in March of 2015.
"Johnny grabbed me by the neck and collarbone and slammed me against the countertop. I struggled to stand up as he strangled me, but my arms and feet kept slipping and sliding on to the spilled alcohol and were dragged against the broken glass on the countertop and floor, which repeatedly slashed my feet and arms,” Heard said, per the court documents. “Scared for my life, I told Johnny, ‘You are hurting me and cutting me.’ Johnny ignored me, continuing to hit me with the back of one closed hand, and slamming a hard plastic phone against a wall with his other until it was smashed into smithereens.”
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Depp has vehemently denied all accusations against him. In his lawsuit against Heard, representatives for Depp stated:
“Mr. 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.”
Following her divorce from Depp, Heard donated her $7 million USD dollar settlement to charity.
Update (April 12): When reached for comment, Depp’s lawyer challenged Heard’s version of events and laid out additional accusations against Heard.
This is a developing story.