Johnny Depp rejects 'heinous' abuse charges by ex Amber Heard

US — "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp denied ever physically abusing Amber Heard as he took the witness stand on Tuesday at the US defamation trial against his former wife.

"There were arguments and things of that nature but never did I myself reach the point of striking Miss Heard in any way," Depp told the jury hearing the case at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia.

"Nor have I ever struck any woman in my life," he said.

Depp said the "heinous and disturbing" allegations of domestic abuse made against him by Heard were "not based in any species of truth" and came as a "complete shock."

Depp was asked by one of his lawyers why he had brought the defamation case against his ex-wife.

"I felt it my responsibility to stand up not only for myself, but stand up for my children," Depp said. "I wanted to clear my children of this horrid thing that they were having to read about their father that was untrue."

"It's strange when one day you're Cinderella, so to speak, and then in 0.6 seconds you're Quasimodo," he added.

The 58-year-old Depp, his hair slicked back in a ponytail and wearing a black suit, black shirt and floral pattern tie, took the stand on the fifth day of the blockbuster defamation trial.

Depp filed the defamation suit after Heard, who turns 36 on Friday, wrote a column for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse."

The actress never named Depp, whom she met in 2009 on the set of the film "The Rum Diary," but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages.

Heard, who was married to Depp from 2015 to 2017, countersued, asking for $100 million and claiming she suffered "rampant physical violence and abuse" at his hands.

Depp accuses Heard of seeking to "generate positive publicity for herself" ahead of the release of the film "Aquaman," in which she had a starring role.

Depp filed the defamation complaint against Heard in the United States after losing a separate libel case in London in November 2020 that he brought against the tabloid The Sun for calling him a "wife-beater."

'Never seen Johnny abuse anybody' 

In opening arguments, Heard's lawyers alleged that Depp became a "monster" during drug- and alcohol-fueled benders and physically and sexually abused Heard.

Depp's attorneys rejected the allegations as untrue and said they have had a "devastating" impact on the actor's Hollywood career.

He left his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and was asked to step down from the "Fantastic Beasts" series based on the book by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

Depp took the witness stand following testimony from a member of his security detail, Sean Bett, and Keenan Wyatt, who worked as a sound engineer on many of his movies.

Both men testified that they had never seen Depp be violent in any way.

"I've never seen Johnny abuse anybody ever," Wyatt said.

Bett said he had witnessed Heard though once throw a "water bottle or a plastic cup" at Depp.

Depp filed his case in Virginia since the Post is printed there but he is not suing the newspaper itself.

Virginia also has defamation laws considered to be more favorable to plaintiffs than those in California, where the two actors live. 

In 2016, Heard sought a restraining order against Depp amid abuse allegations. Their divorce was finalized in 2017. — by Jim Watson with Chris Lefkow in Washington

Agence France-Presse

Judge tosses most of lawsuit by Mariah Carey's brother over singer's memoir

NEW YORK — A New York judge dismissed most of a defamation lawsuit by Mariah Carey's older brother over her 2020 best-selling memoir, though the singer must still face two claims.

In a 29-page decision on Tuesday, Justice Barbara Jaffe of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan said Morgan Carey can sue his sister over passages suggesting he distributed cocaine to "the beautiful people," and implying he might have "been-in-the-system" -- in prison -- for a serious crime.

But the judge dismissed claims over seven other passages from "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," including one discussing a fight between Morgan Carey and the Careys' father that required police intervention.

Jaffe said that while that passage "reasonably conveys a defamatory inference that plaintiff was abusive toward his family," Morgan Carey, who is about a decade older than his sister, failed to show he suffered "special damages" resulting from harm to his reputation.

The judge also dismissed claims against the memoir's publishers, saying it wasn't clear how Mariah Carey's "alleged vindictiveness" showed that they knew the disputed passages were false or had serious doubts they were true.

Lawyers for Morgan Carey and the publishers declined to comment on Wednesday. Lawyers for Mariah Carey did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mariah Carey's memoir described a dysfunctional poverty-stricken childhood and early career struggles for the 51-year-old singer known for songs including "Vision of Love," "One Sweet Day" and "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

The defendants included the memoir's co-author, the publisher Macmillan and Andy Cohen Books, an imprint named for the television producer and Bravo host.

The case is Carey v Carey et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 152192/2021.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Porter

-reuters

Mariah Carey’s brother sues her for defamation over memoir

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Mariah Carey’s older brother on Wednesday sued the singer over her recent best-selling memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” accusing her of defamation and inflicting emotional distress.

Morgan Carey is seeking unspecified damages in a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, including over book passages that he said falsely suggested he was violent.

The lawsuit was filed one month after Mariah Carey’s older sister Alison sued her for $1.25 million for alleged emotional distress over the memoir, which was published in September and topped The New York Times‘ nonfiction best-seller list in October.

Spokespeople for the singer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Her brother’s lawyer declined additional comment.

Mariah Carey, 51, is known for songs including “Vision of Love,” “One Sweet Day” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Her memoir described a dysfunctional poverty-stricken childhood, and her early career struggles.

Morgan Carey, born in 1960, said Mariah Carey damaged his reputation by writing about an alleged “vicious fight” with his father that occurred when she was a little girl, and where “it took twelve cops to pull my brother and father apart.”

He said actual fights with his father never occurred during Mariah Carey’s childhood, and the alleged incident’s being “fictional” was shown by the likelihood only one or two police officers would have responded to a domestic violence report.

Morgan Carey also sued over passages that he said implied he tried to extort money from Mariah Carey, is associated with “sketchy” and “questionable” people in the music industry, and has “‘been-in-the-system’ (i.e., a criminal).”

Other defendants include the book’s co-author, its publisher Macmillan, and the imprint Andy Cohen Books, named for the TV producer and host of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” None of their representatives immediately responded to requests for comment.

-reuters-

Amber Heard sues comedian Stanhope for defamation over Johnny Depp

LOS ANGELES | Lawyers for actress Amber Heard filed a defamation lawsuit against comedian Doug Stanhope on Friday after he wrote an article accusing her of blackmailing and manipulating her estranged husband, actor Johnny Depp.

The complaint was filed in Cochise County, Arizona, against Stanhope and 20 unnamed individuals associated with the comedian.

The lawsuit demands a jury trial and says that Heard would donate all proceeds to a battered women’s shelter in Arizona.

Representatives for Stanhope and Depp did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The complaint is in response to a May 29 guest column by Stanhope published on entertainment trade outlet TheWrap.com and headlined “Johnny Depp Is Being Blackmailed by Amber Heard – Here’s How I Know.”

Stanhope, who said he was a friend of Depp’s, wrote that Depp had told him that Heard was leaving him and “threatening to lie about him publicly in any and every possible duplicitous way if he didn’t agree to her terms.”

“Blackmail is what I would imagine other people might put it, including the manner in which he is now being vilified,” Stanhope wrote.

Lawyers for Heard called Stanhope’s comments, detailed in the complaint, “completely false and highly defamatory.”

The lawsuit is the latest step in the increasingly acrimonious split between Heard, 30, and Depp, 52, who had been married for 15 months.

Heard filed for divorce from Depp in Los Angeles last month, citing irreconcilable differences, and obtained a temporary restraining order against the actor.

She said in court papers that Depp had been abusive to her throughout their relationship, culminating in a May 21 argument during which he hurled a cell phone at her face and shattered objects in her apartment.

The documents included photos of the actress with a bruised eye that she said she sustained in the incident. Heard later gave a statement to Los Angeles police in which she accused Depp of domestic violence.

Depp, one of Hollywood’s top stars and box office draws, is currently touring with his band Hollywood Vampires in Europe and is scheduled to perform in Bucharest, Romania, on Monday.

The actor’s 17-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Lily-Rose Depp, supported her father on Instagram last week, posting a photo captioning her father as “the sweetest most loving person I know.”

source: interaksyon.com