Johnny Depp Reaches Settlement in ‘City of Lies’ Assault Lawsuit

Depp was accused of assault and battery on the set of the film in April 2017

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Johnny Depp’s “City of Lies” assault case reached a settlement Monday ahead of its scheduled trial start date.

The case, which was brought forth by “City of Lies” location manager Gregg “Rocky” Brooks, was scheduled to begin later this month. In 2018, Brooks filed a lawsuit accusing Depp of assault and battery on the “City of Lies” set in April 2017. Depp has denied the accusations.

According to the suit, Brooks claimed that Depp verbally and physically assaulted him during filming, including punching Brooks twice in the ribs, after Brooks was asked by a producer to extend the hours of a filming permit to accommodate Depp, who wanted to film two friends in an extended scene.

The suit noted that after Brooks was told to notify Depp that the production was running out of time, Depp verbally berated Brooks, yelling things like, “You have no right to tell me what to do,” until bodyguards removed Depp. The suit also reports that Depp “appeared to be drinking alcohol and using drugs throughout the day on set.”

According to the suit, the production company fired Brooks the following week after he refused to sign a document stating that Brooks would not file a suit.

The thriller, which centers on the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. shortly after the death of Tupac, was involved in lawsuits in 2018 after it was pulled from the studio schedule just a month before it was set to hit theaters. The suits, filed by bank Leumi in Los Angeles federal court, claimed that the Israeli bank was owed millions in unpaid guarantees on the real-life crime drama.

Depp’s character, disgraced LAPD Detective Russell Poole, has spent years trying to solve the crime, while Jackson (played by Forest Whitaker) is a reporter desperate for answers.

TheWrap has reached out to attorneys on both sides for comment.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

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