0 h 10 min, 27 mai 2021 ans - THE TIMES Johnny Depp may sue campaign group over Amber Heard article

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FROM THE TIMES:

Johnny Depp may sue campaign group over Amber Heard article

by Cameron Charters

When Amber Heard described herself as a victim of domestic violence in an opinion column for The Washington Post it prompted a $50 million libel action by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, who is fighting to restore his reputation.

Now there is speculation that the former Pirates of the Caribbean star will sue the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over the article after new documents were said to reveal that it was actually drafted by the group’s staff.

A trove of emails suggests that a strategist at the ACLU, which describes itself as America’s largest public interest law firm, wrote a first draft of the December 2018 column after a telephone interview with Heard and before submitting it to her for input and approval, according to DailyMail.com.

Previously unseen messages between representatives for Heard and ACLU staff are said to suggest the organisation’s members came up with the idea after appointing the actress as an ambassador on women’s rights in late 2018.

The opinion column, which did not mention Depp by name, went through several revisions for legal reasons, with Heard seeking not to breach a non-disclosure agreement she signed as part of her $7 million divorce settlement with the actor. She has said that she donated the money to the ACLU and the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.

Depp sued for defamation after it was published with the title “I spoke up against sexual violence and faced our culture’s wrath”, claiming it was a clear reference to their failed marriage that falsely labelled him as an abuser.

Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman said: “This new trove of emails finally proves one of the things the ACLU has fought for years to hide: they wrote Amber Heard’s false op-ed for her and were co-conspirators with Ms Heard from the start.” He added: “Those who scheme, write and publish defamation, even purported free speech advocates, are not immune from the consequences.

In her own court filings Heard does not claim to be the sole author of the column. She states that she wrote it “with the assistance and advice of others”. The Times has contacted the ACLU for comment.
Depp’s future as a leading Hollywood star appeared in doubt last year after a High Court judge found that he had violently abused Heard 12 times during their turbulent relationship.

The ruling came after Depp sued News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, over a 2018 article headlined “How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”. NGN is owned by News UK, which also owns The Times.

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia over the Washington Post article. A trial is fixed for April next year.

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