Amber Heard Accuses Ex Johnny Depp of a 'False Smear Campaign' in $100 Million Countersuit
Venturelli/Getty; John Phillips/Getty Amber Heard and Johnny Depp
Amber Heard has launched a countersuit against her ex-husband Johnny Depp for $100 million, accusing him of initiating a "smear campaign" against her.
Per court documents filed on Aug. 10 in Fairfax County, Virginia, Heard, 34, has asked Depp's $50 million lawsuit to be thrown out of court and is seeking twice the amount against him in her countersuit.
Depp, 57, is currently seeking damages against his ex-wife for an op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post claiming to be a domestic violence victim. The trial is set to begin in Fairfax County on Jan. 11.
In her court filing, the Aquaman actress alleged that Depp and his team “orchestrated a false and defamatory smear campaign” against her.
In the court papers, Depp allegedly "controlled and/or manipulated" social media accounts specifically with the goal of targeting Heard.
PEOPLE has reached out to Depp's lawyers for comment.
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Heard also claimed that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor "initiated, coordinated, overseen, and/or supported and amplified" two change.org petitions, the first to get her kicked off Aquaman, and the second to remove her as a spokeswoman for L’Oréal, the papers state.
"This stream of false and defamatory accusations against Ms. Heard is all an attempt to ruin her life and career, simply because she was a victim of domestic abuse and violence at the hands of Mr Depp," the court filing states.
According to the documents, Heard is "finally, after all these years, fighting back" by launching the countersuit against Depp.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
On Aug. 21, Depp and his team submitted documents asking to reschedule the defamation trial to "sometime between March and June 2021" so it doesn't interfere with filming the latest Fantastic Beasts film, according to USA Today.
Depp's legal team filed the motion after Depp's manager received a letter from Warner Bros.' legal team reminding the actor that he was contractually obligated to report to London for filming "on an exclusive basis commencing in early October 2020 and running through and including the middle of February 2021," USA Today reported. (Depp plays the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spinoff.)
The original court date did not conflict with filming, but the novel coronavirus pandemic created " an untenable situation over which [Depp] has no control," his team said.
Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Phillip Faraone/Getty Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
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Last year, Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard over her Dec. 18, 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post titled, “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
In response, Heard’s rep said in a statement: “This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp’s repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard. She will not be silenced. Mr. Depp’s actions prove he is unable to accept the truth of his ongoing abusive behavior. But while he appears hell-bent on achieving self destruction, we will prevail in defeating this groundless lawsuit and ending the continued vile harassment of my client by Mr. Depp and his legal team.”
Depp’s lawyers go on to say that op-ed’s “implication that Mr. Depp is a domestic abuser is categorically and demonstrably false,” and that the allegations were refuted by police officers, a “litany” of neutral witnesses and 87 surveillance camera videos.
Depp and Heard met on the set of 2011’s The Rum Diary and were married from February 2015 to May 2016.
