As part of a lawsuit between Johnny Depp and his former representation at The Management Group, Depp’s managers claim that they had discovered several years ago that the actor had “violently kicked” his ex-wife, Amber Heard, and had been “extremely volatile” with her during their marriage.
According to court documents filed last month and obtained by People, TMG claims that one of Depp’s managers, Joel Mandel, had been told about the abuse through “house staff and security” and was made aware of the kicking incident that occurred “in or around 2014.”
TMG also claims that during his divorce from Heard, Depp pressured his longtime assistant to deny that he had sent text messages to Heard apologizing for Depp’s behavior and to claim that Heard had manufactured the texts. Those messages were released by Entertainment Tonight last June.
“When I told him he kicked you, he cried,” the assistant wrote in one of the texts. “It was disgusting. And he knows it.”
According to the legal docs, Depp’s management group is “informed and believes that Depp knew full well that the text messages were genuine, but pressured and berated his assistant to falsely challenge the texts publicly.”
Depp’s representatives did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Johnny Depp's Year-Plus of Despair: From Divorce to Dog Drama to His 'Bad Joke' (Photos)
As a widely admired, reasonably well-paid movie star, Johnny Depp would seem to have a charmed life. But fear not, dear reader; he has problems, just like you. The past year or so has seen Depp endure his share of difficulties, including an embarrassing apology video spurred by a doggie snafu, a messy, public divorce and, most recently an industrial-grade backlash over an assassination joke he made about Donald Trump. Read on for a timeline of his recent troubles.
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After the deputy prime minister of Australia threatened to euthanize Depp and then-wife Amber Heard's Yorkshire terriers when the then-couple brought the pooches Down Under without declaring them, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor and Heard made nice in April 2016 with an exceedingly awkward apology video that was mocked by pretty much everybody, including Depp himself.
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The laughingstock video would soon turn out to be the least of Depp's concerns, as the next month Heard filed for divorce and sought a restraining order against the actor, alleging abuse by Depp.The divorce drama dragged out and made headlines for months.
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On Jan. 13, the same day that Depp finalized his divorce from Heard, Depp jumped into another legal entanglement, this time of his own making. Depp sued his former managers for $25 million, accusing them of "gross misconduct" while handling his financial affairs.
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Shortly thereafter, Depp's former managers filed a countersuit, claiming that Depp lived "an ultra-extravagant lifestyle" that he "simply could not afford." Among the alleged extravagances: Spending $30,000 a month on "expensive wine that [Depp] had flown to him around the world for his personal consumption.”
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Depp's latest headache came in June, following his appearance at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival. While introducing his new film "The Libertine," the actor took digs at President Donald Trump and joked, “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
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Perhaps predictably (just ask Kathy Griffin), that didn't go over so well with many people, including the folks in the White House. A White House official issued a statement reading, “President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it’s sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depp’s colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a Democrat elected official.”
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The backlash prompted an apology from Depp, who issued an apology on Friday stating, “I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump. It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone.”
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From an awkward apology video to an ill-considered assassination joke
As a widely admired, reasonably well-paid movie star, Johnny Depp would seem to have a charmed life. But fear not, dear reader; he has problems, just like you. The past year or so has seen Depp endure his share of difficulties, including an embarrassing apology video spurred by a doggie snafu, a messy, public divorce and, most recently an industrial-grade backlash over an assassination joke he made about Donald Trump. Read on for a timeline of his recent troubles.
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