Attorneys for Amber Heard filed a defamation lawsuit on Friday against comedian Doug Stanhope that included yet more details of alleged abuse against her husband Johnny Depp.
Heard’s new lawsuit came less than a week after the Stanhope, a longtime friend of the Pirates of the Caribbean star, accused Heard of blackmailing Depp in a column published in The Wrap on May 29.
“Depp has hit and kicked Heard on numerous occasions, has thrown objects at her, at one point nearly suffocated her to the point where she feared for her life,” Heard’s new lawsuit claims.
“Depp is an alcoholic and drug addict, and these violent episodes occurred mostly after Depp had relapsed into a cycle of substance abuse. His drug and alcohol abuse has increased dramatically in recent years, as has his violent behavior.”
“Heard repeatedly returned to Depp, despite his verbal and physical mistreatment of her, hoping optimistically that the man she married would change his behavior,” the lawsuit reportedly continues. “Each time Heard returned, however, within months, the cycle of substance abuse and violence repeated.”
In his column last month, Stanhope claimed that Heard was “threatening to lie about him publicly in any and every possible duplicitous way if he didn’t agree to her terms.”
The actress’s attorney called Stanhope’s blackmail claim “unequivocally false.”
Depp has vigorously denied all allegations of abuse. LAPD officers who arrived at the couple’s residence the night of the latest alleged incident say they could see no evidence of Heard’s injuries.
Heard filed for and received a temporary restraining order against Depp in a California court in May, where the 30-year-old Rum Diary star presented photos to a judge of her bruised face as evidence.
Heard filed for divorce from the actor earlier last month, after just 15 months of marriage.
On Wednesday, more photographs of Amber Heard’s bruised and bloodied face were published by People magazine. Entertainment Tonight later published text messages purported to be sent from Heard’s cellphone that appeared to show that Depp’s alleged physical abuse of his wife dates back to at least 2014. The photos were reportedly taken during an alleged violent incident in December 2015.
A representative for Depp has since claimed that the text messages were doctored.
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