Johnny Depp’s legal entanglements grew by one on Tuesday, after two men who say they worked as security for the “Pirates of the Caribbean ” star filed suit against the actor.
In their suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Eugene Arreola and Miguel Sanchez allege that they were denied overtime pay as well as meal and rest periods while providing protection for Depp.
They also allege that they were tasked with responsibilities that bodyguards wouldn’t normally be expected to do, and “were forced to protect Defendant Depp from himself and his vices while in public, becoming caretakers for him.”
According to the suit, Arreola and Sanchez first began providing security for Depp first as employees of the security firm Premier Group International, and came aboard working as in-house security for Depp in April 2016 after Premier’s services were terminated.
While working for Premier, the suit says, Arreola and Sanchez “witnessed Depp become increasingly embroiled in personal turmoil and detached from the reality around him. In early 2016 Plaintiffs began to notice a stark change in Depp and the atmosphere of his Hollywood Hills compound. Depp began making sudden and drastic changes to his staff and management team, causing a significant financial crunch for everyone surrounding Depp, except for Depp himself.”
According to the suit, both Arreola and Sanchez weren’t paid overtime and didn’t receive off-duty meal or rest breaks. The suit also says that the pair “found themselves in situations that required more than what a bodyguard would be expected to do. Plaintiffs were constantly used as drivers, driving back and forth at Depp’s or his family’s beckoning. Plaintiffs were asked repeatedly to drive vehicles that contained illegal substances, open containers and minors. Plaintiffs were asked to monitor unstable individuals in Defendant Depp’s life and entourage.”
The suit continues, “Often times Plaintiffs were forced to protect Defendant Depp from himself and his vices while in public, becoming caretakers for him. An incident at a local nightclub involved Plaintiffs alerting Depp of illegal substances visible on his face and person while preventing onlookers from noticing Depp’s condition.”
The suit also says that they were “also retaliated against when they asked why they they were not being given appropriate breaks or being paid overtime.”
“As a result of the toxic and dangerous work environment and the constant labor code violations of their employers, Plaintiffs were forced to leave their employment despite the fact that they enjoyed many of the people they worked with and had no ill will toward Johnny Depp,” the suit continues.
TheWrap has reached out to Depp’s spokesperson for comment on the suit.
The complaint, which alleges multiple labor code violations and wrongful termination, seeks unspecified damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
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.