21h 56min, may 27, 2021 y - DAILY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Depp legal battle against the ACLU heats up as emails reveal staff wrote Amber Heard op-ed

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A bitter defamation lawsuit is now brewing between Johnny Depp and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) after new documents revealed the non-profit's staff penned the explosive domestic violence op-ed at the center of the actor's $50million libel suit against ex-wife Amber Heard.

A trove of emails seen by DailyMail.com suggest Heard, 35, had minimal input in the December 2018 article which was written by an ACLU strategist then submitted to her for approval.

The draft went through multiple legal revisions, with Heard's lawyer anxious not to mention Depp, 57, by name or breach a non-disclosure agreement in the former couple's $7million divorce settlement.

But when it appeared in the Washington Post, Depp sued instead for libel, arguing the 1,000-word essay - entitled: 'I spoke up against sexual violence and faced our culture's wrath' - was a clear reference to their failed marriage and falsely labeled him an abuser.