Johnny Depp sought to submit nude photos of Amber Heard as evidence at the former couple’s defamation trial, according to newly unsealed court documents.
More than 6,000 pages in the case, which made headlines around the world as it was televised for weeks, were made public over the weekend, according to The Daily Beast.
In pre-trial documents, Ms Heard’s legal team asked the judge in the case to exclude a string of “irrelevant personal matters” from the trial.
They alleged that, “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 court papers also show that Ms Heard walked away from “tens of millions of dollars” during her divorce from the Hollywood star.
They claim that Mr Depp shot the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie while the couple was still married and that Ms Heard was therefore entitled to half of the income from it.
Mr Depp had earned more than $33m from the fourth movie in the franchise, but Ms Heard told her lawyers she did not want to fight him for the paycheck. She told them in an email included in the court papers that she would be “amazingly true to your word, that this is not about the money.”
The judge ultimately refused to allow the jury to hear any evidence from the couple’s divorce proceedings in the defamation trial.
The trial, which began on 11 April in Fairfax, Virginia, stemmed from a complaint filed in March 2019 by Mr Depp against his ex-wife.
Mr Depp alleged that Ms Heard had defamed him in an op-ed published in The Washington Post, in which she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”. Ms Heard filed a counter-suit in November 2020, asking to be granted immunity against Mr Depp’s claims.
On 1 June, a jury overwhelmingly found in Mr Depp’s favor that Ms Heard had defamed Mr Depp in three statements. Jurors also found that an attorney for Mr Depp defamed Ms Heard in one of three statements highlighted in her counter-suit. Mr Depp was awarded $10.35m in damages, while Ms Heard was awarded $2m.
Last month, Mr Depp appealed the $2m defamation award the jury made, days after Ms Heard officially appealed the $10.35m verdict made against her.
The Independent has reached out to lawyers for Ms Heard for comment.
