Amber Heard has filed a defamation lawsuit against Johnny Depp for an op-ed she published for the Washington Post in 2018. “I stood up to sexual violence and faced the fury of our culture,” the op-ed started. This has to be changed.” Heard never addresses Depp by name, but she does characterize herself as “a prominent figure who advocates for domestic abuse.” Heard is clearly hinting that Depp abused her throughout their one-year marriage, according to Depp and his counsel, and a judge agreed. Heard first publicly accused Depp of domestic violence in May 2016, just days after filing for divorce and requesting and winning a temporary restraining order based on domestic violence. According to Depp’s lawyer, Heard was lying and “attempting to obtain an early financial resolution by alleging abuse.” After the pair reached an out-of-court divorce settlement in August 2016, Heard withdrew her request for a permanent restraining order. They also issued a joint statement in which they bizarrely stated that neither of their contradictory accusations about each other were true. “Neither party has made false charges for financial benefit” (so Heard wasn’t lying to earn a greater financial settlement), and “There was never an intent of bodily or mental injury” (so Depp wasn’t abusive). Heard, who is alleged to have received $7 million in the arrangement, said she would split the money between the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
