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Johnny Depp ‘sought to include nude images of Amber Heard’ in defamation trial-Mel Evans-Entertainment – Metro
Pretrial documents were unsealed recently.
Pretrial documents for Johnny Depp’s defamation trial have been unsealed (Picture: AP)
Following Johnny Depp’s defamation trial win against Amber Heard, it’s been claimed in unsealed court documents the actor sought to include nude images of his ex-wife.
The explosive libel battle ended after six weeks, after the actor, 59, sued his ex-wife, 36, for $50million (£40m) over an op-ed she wrote in 2018, about her experiences with domestic violence.
While Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Depp was not named in the Washington Post article, his team argued that it implied he was sexually and physically abusive over the course of their relationship – something he has firmly denied.
Aquaman actress Heard later countersued, seeking $100m (£81m) in damages and claiming that he libeled her by calling her a liar.
The jury confirmed that they had unanimously reached a verdict and awarded Depp $10m (£8.1m) in compensatory damages, and a further $5m (£4m) in punitive damages. Heard won one of her three defamation countersuit claims against Depp, and was awarded $2m (£1.6m).
Now unsealed pretrial documents obtained by The Daily Beast claim Depp tried to include nude photos of Heard, as well as her ‘brief stint as an exotic dancer’, and allegations she was an escort.
Depp won his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard (Picture: AP)
The documents also revealed claims Heard turned down ‘millions’ in her divorce from Depp (Picture: EPA)
According to the outlet, Heard’s team argued what they branded ‘irrelevant personal matters’ should be excluded from the trial, and alleged: ‘Mr. Depp inappropriately seeks to introduce evidence of the following Irrelevant Personal Matters: (1) nude pictures of Amber Heard; (2) Amber Heard’s sister Whitney’s reality show video; (3) Whitney and Amber’s past romantic relationships; (4) Amber’s brief stint as an exotic dancer years before she met Mr. Depp and Mr. Depp attempting to frivolously and maliciously suggest or imply that Ms. Heard was at one time an escort.’
The unsealed documents illustrated how attorneys from both sides sought to present certain claims to the jury, and also included, according to reports, texts between Depp and Marilyn Manson, in which the musician said he branded his wife ‘Amber 2.0’, a request to exclude Depp’s medical history from the trial, and claims Heard ‘walked away from tens of millions’ by not going after Depp’s Pirates salary in their 2016 divorce.
The pair split in 2016 (Picture: AFP)
They also included alleged texts between Depp and Marilyn Manson (Picture: Anthony Harvey/REX/Shutterstock)
The bombshell legal battle between the former couple played out at the Fairfax County District Court, and began in April.
After six weeks of emotional testimony and expert witnesses – including Kate Moss – the jury were dismissed to deliberate and returned with their verdict after just 13 hours of contemplation, finding in favour of the Edward Scissorhands lead.
Filing an appeal, Heard’s legal team submitted a notice last week, claiming that errors made during the trial prevented a ‘just and fair verdict’ being returned.
A spokesperson for Heard told Metro.co.uk: ‘We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment.
‘We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realise today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.’
Less than 24 hours later, Depp’s attorneys followed suit and filed their own paperwork on the counterclaim.
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‘Plaintiff and counterclaim-defendant John C Depp, II, by counsel, hereby appeals to the Court of Appeals of Virginia from all adverse rulings and from the final judgment order of this Circuit Court entered on June 24, 2022,’ the documents read.
His representative added: ‘The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr Depp in multiple instances.
‘We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand.’
Metro.co.uk contacted Depp’s legal reps for comment.
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