Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald star Johnny Depp has requested that discussions of his alleged substance abuse and his divorce proceedings from Aquaman star Amber Heard be excluded from his upcoming assault trial, as Depp believes these topics would “improperly sway” a jury.
According to The Blast, Depp filed the motion to exclude the topics of Heard and his alleged substance abuse from being raised during the trial due to his belief that the former would only be discussed to paint him “in a bad light” and the latter to make the jury think he “is somehow a bad person.” (Related: Judge Denies Aquaman Star Amber Heard’s Full Request for Protective Order, Grants Partial Protections to Personal Information)
The motion reads:
“It goes without saying that Mr. Depp is a world-renowned actor and celebrity. Mr. Depp’s life and lifestyle are frequently the subject of articles and publications in print and electronic media, as well as on television. Many salacious headline-seeking articles have been published over the years speculating as to Mr. Depp’s use of alcohol or drugs. Such “evidence” has no relevance to this case whatsoever.”
The motion also includes a request for an “order excluding evidence of alleged alcohol or drug use by Mr. Depp either prior to April 12, 2017, or subsequent to April 12, 2017, as such evidence has absolutely no relevance to the facts legitimately in dispute in this case.” (Related: Aquaman Actress Amber Heard Defends Posting Topless Photo On Instagram)
In 2018, Depp was accused of assaulting location manager Gregg “Rocky” Brooks after attempting to enforce permit restrictions during production on the as-of-yet-unreleased film City of Lies. Brooks attempted to inform director Brad Furman that they had exceeded their shooting curfew of 7 PM and had to quickly wrap up shooting, to which Furman allegedly replied, “Why don’t you tell that to Johnny Depp?” Attempting to speak to an on-site police officer, Brooks was accosted by Depp, whom allegedly shouted “Who the f*** are you? You have no right to tell me what to do! I don’t give a f*** who you are, and you can’t tell me what to do” followed by two punches to his lower rib cage, to which Depp allegedly taunted Brooks, saying that “I will give you $100,000 to punch me in the face right now!” (Related: Johnny Depp and Legal Team Respond to Domestic Abuse Allegations Made by Ex-Wife Amber Heard)
However, City of Lies script supervisor Emma Danoff refuted this version of events, claiming that Brooks was in fact hurling “racial and derogatory slurs” towards an Africa-American homeless woman for being in his way, prompting Depp to jump to her defense:
“He immediately stood up from our shared seat on the edge of a planter bench and went over to Brooks to stand up for the woman. Mr. Depp said to Mr. Brooks, ‘You can’t talk to her like that. You think she is something less than you? Who do you think you are? How dare you?'”
Danoff also claims that no punches were thrown, Depp did not taunt Brooks with the $100,000 offer, and that she possesses 40 time-stamped photos which support her story. (Related: Johnny Depp Files $50 Million Lawsuit Against Aquaman’s Amber Heard)
Following these accusations, Brooks filed suit against Depp for $70,000 in damages. Depp has denied these allegations, claiming that any violence perpetrated in this incident was done out of self-defense.
The judge has yet to rule on Depp’s motion. The trial regarding the Brooks’ assault allegations will begin on October 21st.