Johnny Depp’s agent testified Monday that his ex-wife’s 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Submit describing herself as a sufferer of home abuse was once “catastrophic” to his occupation and coincided with the lack of a $23 million deal for a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel.
Amber Heard’s legal professionals driven again aggressively in opposition to the agent’s statement on cross-examination, suggesting that the item was once inconsequential amid a flow of unhealthy exposure for Depp attributable to his personal unhealthy behaviour.
Depp is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Courtroom, pronouncing her article defamed him when she described herself as “a public determine representing home abuse.” The item by no means mentions Depp by means of title, however Depp’s legal professionals say he was once defamed however as it’s a transparent connection with abuse allegations Heard levied in 2016.
In testimony Monday, agent Jack Whigham mentioned Depp was once nonetheless ready to paintings after the preliminary allegations made in opposition to him in 2016. He was once paid $8 million for Town Of Lies, $10 million for Homicide at the Orient Categorical and $13.5 million for Implausible Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, all of that have been shot in 2017, albeit underneath contracts reached previous to the allegations made in opposition to him.
However he mentioned The Washington Submit piece was once uniquely destructive to Depp’s occupation.
“It was once a first-person account, extraordinarily impactful,” Whigham mentioned of the op-ed.
After that, he mentioned Depp struggled to get any roughly paintings. He needed to take a pay lower — right down to $3 million — to do the impartial movie Minimata, and a $22.5 million verbal deal he had with Disney for a 6th Pirates movie was once scuttled, Whigham mentioned.
On cross-examination, regardless that, Heard’s legal professionals requested whether or not the Pirates deal had already long gone south by the point Heard’s article was once revealed. Whigham stated he by no means had a written deal for Depp to look in a 6th Pirates movie. And whilst he mentioned Pirates manufacturer Jerry Bruckheimer talked favourably during 2018 about Depp coming again to the franchise, Disney executives had been noncommittal at best possible.
By way of early 2019 — weeks after Heard’s op-ed — Whigham mentioned it was once transparent that Depp’s position in any Pirates movie was once scuttled and that manufacturers had been as a substitute taking a look to transport forward with Margot Robbie in a lead position.
Heard’s legal professionals have cited quite a few components — together with reviews of heavy drug and alcohol use, a lawsuit by means of a workforce member in July 2018 who says he was once punched on set by means of Depp, and a separate libel lawsuit Depp filed in opposition to a British newspaper in 2018 — as issues that broken Depp’s symbol greater than the Submit article.
For Depp’s Virginia lawsuit to achieve success, he now not best wishes to turn that he was once falsely accused, however he should also display that the op-ed piece — now not Heard’s abuse allegations in 2016 when she filed for divorce and bought a brief restraining order — is what brought about the wear.
Depp’s legal professionals additionally introduced testimony from an highbrow belongings knowledgeable who testified concerning the destructive flip in Depp’s popularity. However his personal information, appearing development strains from Google searches, confirmed destructive spikes going on after the 2016 abuse allegations, however negligible or nonexistent adjustments after the Submit article.
The trial has now entered its fourth week. A lot of the testimony right through the primary 3 weeks focused at the unstable dating between Depp and Heard. Depp says he hasn’t ever struck Heard. Her legal professionals mentioned right through the trial’s opening statements that she was once bodily and sexually abused by means of Depp on a couple of events.
Heard is anticipated to testify later this week.