Johnny Depp's agent says that ex-wife Amber Heard's 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post describing herself as a victim of domestic abuse was "catastrophic" to Depp's career and coincided with the loss of a $23 million deal for a "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel. During cross-examination on Monday, Heard's lawyers pushed back aggressively on agent Jack Whigham's assertions.
Heard's lawyers suggested the Post article was inconsequential amid a stream of bad publicity for Depp brought on by his own bad behavior. Depp is suing Heard for libel in a Virginia court, saying her article defamed him when she described herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse."
In testimony on Monday, agent Jack Whigham said Depp was able to work after the initial allegations made against him in 2016. He was paid $8 million for “City Of Lies,” $10 million for “Murder on the Orient Express” and $13.5 million for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” all of which were filmed in 2017, under contracts made prior to the allegations levied against him, the Associated Press reported.
