Johnny Depp, allegedly, failed to provide proper disclosure in his libel case against The Sun, so the latter wanted the lawsuit to be dismissed.
Johnny Depp sued The Sun for calling him “wife-beater,” following his ex Amber Heard’s allegations. The Aquaman star claimed that he was violent and abusive when they were together. Depp’s lawsuit against the tabloid is still ongoing.
Johnny Depp allegedly withheld document
The Sun’s publisher NGN wants Johnny Depp’s libel case to be dismissed.
NGN’s lawyer Adam Wolanski claimed that Depp’s drug use was relevant in the case. And it was a breach of the previous court order requiring him to provide all the documents relevant to the libel case.
“There is a real risk that the claimant has failed to provide proper disclosure to the defendants and that the defendants cannot have a fair trial,” Wolandksi said, as per The New York Times.
Wolanski went on and claimed that the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s drug issue was significant. He stressed that “it is the defendants’ case that drugs and alcohol had an influence on the claimant’s behavior towards Ms. Heard.”
The defendant’s lawyer also read out passages from Heard’s statement claiming that she endured “a three-day ordeal of physical assaults” from Depp, during which time he drank heavily and took MDMA more popularly known as ecstasy.
Depp’s rep responds
Johnny Depp’s representative issued a statement to address the allegations against him. According to David Sherborne, the allegations were not true.
“The defendants claim, wrongly, that Mr. Depp has withheld this document because it is ‘profoundly damaging to his case’; their implied accusation being that he withheld it deliberately. This is untrue,” Sherborne said, Evening Express reported.
The lawyer provided two points in his argument.
“First, the claimant has already provided this document in the US libel proceedings,” Sherborn said.
“Secondly, the issue, in this case, is whether the defendants can prove that the claimant committed serious domestic violence and put Ms Heard in fear. It is not about whether Mr Depp asks for drugs.”
Depp and Heard’s legal battle
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard married in 2015 and separated after a year. In 2017, the court finalized their divorce. However, their legal battle continues due to Heard’s allegations.
Depp vehemently denied that abused Heard. The Tourist star’s exes Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis supported the actor. Both released statements that they never experienced violence with Depp.
Meanwhile, Me Too activist Amanda de Cadenet decided to drop her support for Heard. De Cadenet heard the audio recording of Heard making abusive statements toward Depp.
“I was appalled and shocked to hear how Amber was speaking to Johnny and that it was not ok with me,” de Cadenet said.