The divorce proceedings between “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Johnny Depp and his estranged wife Anber Heard have taken another nasty turn, with Depp’s legal team accusing Heard of a “desperate and misguided attempt to maintain attention and to extort funds from Johnny.”
In papers filed earlier this month in Los Angeles Superior Court, Depp’s legal team says Heard is trying to to “force” Depp to appear at a hearing this Friday, saying that Depp’s not available then and that his presence is unnecessary anyway, as they’ve already reached a settlement agreement. Depp’s attorney, Laura Wasser, adds that Heard’s attempt to force Depp to appear “amounts to harassment.”
Wasser goes so far to suggest that Heard is drawing things out to retain “the public’s attention.”
“If Amber indeed wants to be divorced as she contends, the simple question remains: Why hasn’t she signed the forms necessary to finalize the Stipulated Judgment she has already executed?” Wasser writes. “While only Amber may know the real answer to that question, it is clear that she is intent on prolonging resolution and continuing litigation as long as the public’s attention will allow.”
Heard filed for divorce from Depp in May 2016 after little more than a year of marriage to the actor, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Shortly after filing, the actress, who married Depp after meeting him on the set of 2011’s “The Rum Diary,” claimed that Depp had abused her during their relationship.
In August, Heard announced that she would donate her entire $7 million divorce settlement to multiple charities, including the American Civil Liberties Union, to aid in that organization’s efforts to stop violence against women.
However, since then, the legal squabbling between the estranged couple has continued, with Heard’s legal team claiming that Depp should pay double the settlement amount, because the actor would presumably receive a tax deduction for the charitable donations.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.