Johnny Depp and Amber Heard face each other again for the ongoing defamation trial of the case he filed against her in Virginia. His divorce lawyer testified in court, and the demand letter from 2016 resurfaced.
Johnny Depp Was Allegedly Blackmailed By His Ex-Wife Amber Heard
Depp's divorce Laura Wasser testified in his ongoing defamation trial against Heard on Wednesday via a pre-recorded deposition. She addressed various questions about the exes' divorce proceeding, and among the things discussed was the letter Heard's lawyer sent to Jacob Bloom, Depp's former attorney.
The letter that had been making rounds online mentioned the physical injuries Depp allegedly inflicted on Heard and noted that there were many witnesses. It mentioned a DV TRO, which Heard had not yet sought to keep the issue out of the media spotlight.
It also included several demands, including pendente lite support, exclusive use and possession of the black Range Rover, Depp paying all encumbrances, and exclusive use of his penthouse. It also ordered the Pirates of the Caribbean star to pay for her mortgage and utilities.
Heard's lawyer ordered Depp to sign it and return it to them by May 27, 2016. If he would not comply, then they would have no choice but to serve him a DV TRO.
Many netizens reacted, saying it was an extortion letter, and they accused Heard of blackmailing her ex-husband.
"Amber Heard has sent Johnny Depp a blackmail letter demanding penthouses, a car and monthly payments or she would file a TRO," one tweeted.
"She is a gold digger, why else would she date Elon Musk? She also had a child via a surrogate and there is speculation the father is Elon Musk, I wonder if she is black mailing him too," another wrote.
"she didn't drop the TRO until she secured a 7 million payment. She never had any intention of donating it. It was all just PR moves trying to pander to the public. She wanted better acting roles," a different user commented.
Amber Heard Allegedly Threatened Johnny Depp She Will Lie About Him In Public If He Won't Agree To Her Terms
Doug Stanhope penned a column for The Wrap in 2016. In his piece, he detailed the agony of his friend who was accused of domestic violence and "murdered on social media." That friend was Johnny Depp.
According to Stanhope, he and his girlfriend, Bingo, had known Depp for a few years. They witnessed how Heard allegedly mistreated Depp but they didn't say a word.
"We have watched Amber Heard f— with him at his weakest — or watched him at his weakest from being f—ed with — for the entire time we’ve known him," Stanhope wrote.
"And we didn’t say s—. Because he’s Johnny Depp. And we didn’t want to be thrown out of the circle for saying that The Emperor was being Stripped of His Clothes."
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When they visited Depp, he was in a dour mood and most vulnerable state when he opened the door. They thought it was due to his mother's death.
However, the Fantastic Beasts actor told them not just due to her mom but because "Amber was now going to leave him, threatening to lie about him publicly in any and every possible duplicitous way if he didn’t agree to her terms. Blackmail is what I would imagine other people might put it, including the manner in which he is now being vilified."
Stanhope said that Depp's friends noticed Heard's alleged manipulation but chose to keep their mouths shut for fear that Depp might alienate them. The actor was dumbstruck that nobody told him about it but thanked them for being honest.
"Everything Johnny had told us that she’d been threatening had actually come to be. It blew up in the news, raced through the Internet like a plague and blew up on Twitter like it was the McMartin child abuse scandal. People are swarming with torches on social media," Stanhope continued.
"I watched it all happen ahead of time and I watched it come to fruition today. And I haven’t been able to sleep again because I didn’t say s— to defend him."
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Stanhope stood by Depp because he is his friend. Stanhope clarified that he is against abusing women. However, according to him, "Johnny doesn't abuse anyone." Also, Depp already knew that Heard would resort to such tactics. So, Stanhope broke his silence to support Depp.
"Johnny Depp got used, manipulated, set up and made to look like an a–hole. And he saw it coming and didn’t or couldn’t do anything to stop it," he added.
"He may never talk to me again for saying it but I’d never forgive myself for not coming to his defense out of fear or ego. I stand up for my friends and I tell the f—ing truth."
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's ongoing defamation trial.
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