12 h, jun 25, 2021 y - COURTHOUSE NEWS
Lawyers: Depp’s Agent
Detailed the Actor’s
Troubled Record
Description:
A Virginia judge declined to sanction Depp's attorney over the disclosure of a deposition
from the actor's former agent that purportedly detailed his substance abuse and anger
during the time he was married to actress Amber Heard.
Two years ago, Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard, contending she falsely claimed he abused her and that he lost his role as Jack Sparrow in the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean" as a result.
But court documents point to a perfect storm of issues involving the actor, ranging from substance abuse to not showing up on time and forgetting his lines.
Depp's troubled past was at the center of a hearing Friday, with Heard’s attorney charging that Depp’s legal team withheld deposition records.
The record at issue involved Depp's former agent, Tracey Jacobs, who gave a deposition in a previous lawsuit.
According to a brief filed by Heard's attorneys, the deposition is relevant because it reflects “Mr. Depp’s history of extensive and worsening drug and alcohol abuse, leading to increased anger, hostility and violent behavior, inability to remember his lines, and tardiness or absence from filming."
The deposition also shows, the brief states, that Disney executives "expressed concern over Mr. Depp’s behavior, including his actions toward Ms. Heard, and Ms. Jacobs’ belief that in light of Depp’s behavior in the 2015-16 timeframe, Mr. Depp was quite capable of violence, and had even displayed that increasing volatility toward Ms. Jacobs.”
Depp’s lawyers sent the record of Jacobs' previous deposition via email just as Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, Heard’s attorney, was deposing Jacobs. That meant that Bredehoft was unaware of the testimony when grilling the agent.
“I’m not in my email at all (during a deposition),” said Bredehoft, of the law firm Charlson Bredehoft Cohen and Brown, during Friday's hearing. “I focus.”
But Depp’s legal team didn’t conceal anything, said the actor's lawyer, Ben Chew of Brown Rudnick. “We don’t hide the ball.”
Jacobs first was deposed in another, unrelated case involving Depp. Chew said that once Depp's legal team recognized that Jacobs’ 2018 testimony could be relevant, they sent the deposition to Bredehoft, along with other lawyers involved in the case.
Chief Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate denied Bredehoft’s motion to compel as Chew had produced the deposition. Chew told the court that he was also in the process of sending Bredehoft a deposition video in the case. The judge declined to sanction Chew or Bredehoft.
Added to timeline:
The Johnny Depp Chronology
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Complete Timeline
The Johnny De...
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