It’s looking like Johnny Depp won’t soon be back in the courtroom after all. It had previously been reported that Depp had been sued by a crew member who worked with him on the film City of Lies in 2017. Location manager Greg “Rocky” Brooks alleged that Depp had struck him multiple times in the ribs and offered Brooks $100,000 to hit back. Depp denied these allegations and was scheduled to go to trial on July 25.
Now, per THR, it’s being reported that a settlement has been reached. A notice of settlement was filed with the court on Monday that calls for Depp to follow through with the deal’s unspecified terms before the end of August. If Depp doesn’t comply, the case will be reopened. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
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“The settlement agreement conditions dismissal of this matter on the satisfactory completion of specified terms that are not to be performed within 45 days of the date of the settlement,” the filing reads, in part.
Depp was being represented by power attorney Camille Vasquez who was turned into a popular celebrity after the televised trial involving Amber Heard. Witnesses were also in place to testify on behalf of Depp at the trial, including script supervisor Emma Danoff, who refuted Brooks’ claims. According to Danoff, Depp never physically touched Brooks, though he argued with him after Brooks allegedly mistreated a Black homeless woman by calling her derogatory names.
“He immediately stood up from our shared seat on the edge of a planter bench and went over to Brooks to stand up for the woman,” Danoff said, adding she had time-stamped photos to corroborate her story. “Mr. Depp said to Mr. Brooks, ‘You can’t talk to her like that. You think she is something less that you? Who do you think you are? How dare you?’”
Johnny Depp Wants Amber Heard’s Motion for a Retrial Dismissed
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp came out victorious in his defamation trial with Amber Heard. He was found liable for one of three charges of defamation from Heard’s counterclaim based on comments his previous attorney Adam Waldman had made. But the jury also found Heard liable for all three counts of the alleged defamation of Depp, agreeing that her allegations of domestic abuse were “false and defamatory.” Depp was awarded $10.35 million, though that comes down to $8.35 million in damages owed, as Heard was awarded $2 million.
However, a new twist in the case may be putting the verdict in jeopardy. Heard’s lawyers have stated that one of the jurors was fraudulent and was serving for someone else who’d been called who happened to have the same name. Because of this, Heard’s team says the verdict needs to be tossed or a retrial needs to happen. Team Depp has since filed new paperwork with the court asking for Heard’s retrial motion to be rejected, arguing that there is no legal basis for the retrial.
“Here, the verdict was well supported by the overwhelming evidence, consistent with the law, and should not be set aside,” the memo reads. “Mr. Depp respectfully submits that the Court should deny Ms. Heard’s Post-Trial Motions, which verge into the frivolous.”
