Johnny Depp’s Ex-Managers Say Depp Abused Amber Heard

Summary: Johnny Depp’s ex-management company claims the actor physically abused his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Last year, Amber Heard and her then-husband Johnny Depp were embroiled in a bitter divorce. She claimed that the Pirates of the Caribbean star physically and emotionally abused her, but supporters of Depp said that she was lying. The two eventually settled; and although it’s too little, too late, now Depp’s ex-managers are weighing in, claiming that they knew of the abuse and cover-up.

Like Depp with Heard, Depp and his former business managers are also engaged in a nasty fight in court. In this case, Depp sued his ex-managers for allegedly stealing millions from him, and they’ve countered that his wasteful spending habits were actually to blame.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joel Mandel of The Management Group (TMG) filed legal documents in May that said Depp, 54, had kicked Heard, 31, around the year 2014. This corroborates violence claims she had made in her 2016 divorce filings, but the supporting statement was filed months after Depp and Heard finalized their divorce in December 2016. Although Depp is reportedly worth $200 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, he was allowed to keep the majority of his fortune. Heard was awarded a divorce payment of $7 million, which she vowed to donate to charity.

“[Mr Mandel] was informed well after the fact through communications with various house staff and security that Depp had been extremely volatile and had sometimes ‘gotten physical’ with Heard,” TMG said, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

TMG went on to say that an assistant was pressured by Depp to say that Heard was faking text messages that proved Depp had beaten his then-wife.

“TMG is informed and believes that Depp knew full well that the text messages were genuine, but pressured and berated his assistant to falsely challenge the texts publicly,” the court filing said, according to PEOPLE. “Depp and his longtime assistant publicly denied the messages and outrageously accused Heard of manufacturing them.”

Heard filed for divorce in May of 2016, and she sought a restraining order on the grounds of domestic violence that same month. She said that during their 15-month marriage, he had been abusive several times and that she feared for her life during an incident in December 2015.

Depp had repeatedly denied Heard’s claims and said that she was attempting to spread “gossip” and “lies.” He also said that TMG was trying to “smear” him.

Earlier this year, Depp accused TMG of fraud and “gross misconduct” that led to him losing millions of dollars. TMG rebutted and said that Depp spends over $2 million a month on an “extravagant lifestyle” that he “cannot afford.” Alleged expenses include keeping up his numerous homes and paying up to $300,000 a month on wine.

Since Heard and Depp’s divorce, they have both stayed in the spotlight, but for reasons both positive and negative.

Heard is now dating Tesla founder and billionaire Elon Musk, and the couple appear happy as they jet set around the world. Her professional life, however, is less pleasant. She is battling the producers of the film London Fields, and while they claim she did not meet her contractual obligations, she said that they filmed pornographic scenes using a stunt double to impersonate her without her permission.

Meanwhile, Depp starred in the big budget Pirates sequel, which was a summer flop. Adding more to his bad press, last week, he “joked” about assassinating President Donald Trump, and his questionable remark was met with disapproval from both the left and the right.