Johnny Depp talks backlash from Amber Heard abuse allegations
Johnny Depp is opening up about the tumultuous year he's had after his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, accused him of physically abusing her.
One of Amber Heard's friends defended Johnny Depp from the actress' harrowing domestic abuse allegations — and accused Heard of being verbally abusive herself.
In court documents in Depp's $50 million defamation suit against Heard, a woman named Laura Divenere claims that she never saw any injuries on Heard at the former "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's hand.
Divenere says in the documents, obtained by The Blast and published Monday, that Heard hired her as an interior decorator and that she's friends and in regular contact with the "Aquaman" starlet — and she also claims to not have been in any contact with Depp since 2016.
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When specifically questioned about alleged abuse Heard suffered on May 21, 2016, Divenere said in her statement, "I was with Amber and interacted with her frequently on the several days immediately following her abuse allegation ... including at least on May 23, 24, 25. On those days, I worked with Amber, retrieved packages for her, rode elevators with her, and saw her up close and in person. On none of those days immediately following the abuse claims did I observe any signs of physical abuse or injury, including redness, swelling, cuts, bruising, or damage of any kind."
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Amber Heard donated her $7 million divorce settlement from Johnny Depp to charities and children's hospital. (Reuters)
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Divenere added, "I never saw Amber injured in any way, although I am now aware that she has had many different abuse claims."
She also claimed to have never heard of any domestic violence allegations from the couple and that neither Heard nor Depp ever mentioned any sort of abuse around her. Divenere also said in her declaration, "I knew and interacted with Amber's close friends Rocky Pennington, iO Tillett Wright, and her sister Whitney Heard. None of them ever mentioned any accusation of violence or other abuse against Amber by Mr. Depp."
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In 2016, Heard's close friend iO Tillett Wright wrote an editorial in Refinery29 about abuse, not naming Heard or Depp.
While Divenere said she never heard of abuse within Heard's marriage to Depp, she accused Heard herself of verbal abuse toward her own staff.
"I witnessed Amber being verbally abusive towards her former assistant Kate, screaming at her on the phone," she said in her declaration. "Her then-assistant Kate called me several times in tears, very upset, regarding the treatment she received from Amber."
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Heard's attorney, Eric George, told the outlet, “We have presented clear evidence of multiple instances of violent physical abuse by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard. The fact that her interior decorator didn’t witness that abuse proves nothing. Unable to refute that evidence, Johnny Depp’s team have instead sought to stir up irrelevant and sensationalist tabloid coverage to distract from the stark facts of their client’s horrible abuse of Ms. Heard. It is clear that this vile sideshow is their client’s actual objective in this litigation, and will not cease until this bogus defamation case is resolved; as a result, we are hopeful the courts will move forward as quickly as the law allows.”
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Heard filed for divorce from Depp in 2016 amid claims that the “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” actor physically and verbally abused her. That same year, TMZ posted a leaked video of Depp allegedly throwing a wine glass during an argument with Heard .The site also published photos of Heard with a bruised face, allegedly after Depp threw an iPhone at her. Depp's team has vehemently denied the allegations.
Depp has repeatedly denied the allegations. The stars, who met on the set of the 2011 film "The Rum Diary" when Depp was in a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, settled their divorce in 2017.
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In this Nov. 3, 2011 file photo, U.S. actors Johnny Depp, left, and Amber Heard arrive for the European premiere of their film, "The Rum Diary," in London.Heard is asking a judge to dismiss a $50 million defamation lawsuit her ex-husband Johnny Depp filed over a Washington Post op-ed she wrote about domestic violence. In the motion filed Thursday in Fairfax, Virginia, Heard’s lawyers reiterate allegations that Depp abused her and include exhibits such as photos of her with bruised face and scarred arms.
Heard donated her $7 million settlement to charity.
In March, Depp sued Heard for defamation, accusing the blond beauty of falsely accusing him of domestic violence and costing her work after coming forward with her abuse claims in a December 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
Depp’s complaint says that although Heard did not use Depp’s name in her editorial, it was clear she was referring to him. The lawsuit calls her ongoing allegations of domestic abuse "categorically and demonstrably false."
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"They were part of an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Ms. Heard and advance her career," the lawsuit says, claiming that "she is the perpetrator."
The suit alleges that Depp — who's in a sea of debt — suffered financial losses because of the accusations, including being dropped from his role as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.
Representatives for Depp and Heard did not immediately return Fox News' requests for comment.
Fox News' Dom Calicchio and Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
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