Amber Heard has released a public statement ahead of ex-husband Johnny Depp’s $50million (£38.2million) defamation lawsuit against her.
The actor is suing Heard over a 2018 open-ed she wrote in the Washington Post, where she spoke about surviving domestic violence.
In the piece, headlined: “I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change,” Heard does not mention Depp by name.
However, Depp’s lawyers have argued that the article falsely implies she was sexually and physically abused by Depp during their marriage. Heard has also filed a counterclaim against Depp, arguing he has created a smear campaign.
Johnny Depp (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for ZFF)
In a statement posted on Instagram yesterday (April 10) ahead of the trial in Virginia, Heard wrote: “I’m going to go offline for the next several weeks. As you may know, I’ll be in Virginia, where I face my ex-husband Johnny Depp in court.
“Johnny is suing me for an op-ed I wrote in the Washington Post, in which I recounted my experience of violence and domestic abuse. I never named him, rather I wrote about the price women pay for speaking against men in power. I continue to pay that price, but hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny.
“I have always maintained a love for Johnny and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world. At this time, I recognise the ongoing support I’ve been fortunate to receive throughout these years, and in these coming weeks I will be leaning on it more than ever. With love always, A.”
Depp was granted permission to proceed with the case last year, after Heard’s request to dismiss the case was denied.
It comes after Depp lost a libel lawsuit against The Sun in 2020, which concerned the newspaper publishing an article in April 2018 referring to him as a “wife beater”. Judge Mr Justice Nicol said in a ruling that he found the words to be “substantially true”.
Depp said last year that he believes he is being boycotted by Hollywood, suggesting that the industry is taking note of his “unpleasant and messy situation”.
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