Amber Heard "will not be silenced" by Johnny Depp.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp
The actress hit back after her former husband filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against her, in relation to an article she penned for the Washington Post in December 2018, where she wrote about being the victim of domestic abuse.
Amber's attorney Eric M. George told PEOPLE in a statement: "This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp's repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard. She will not be silenced.
"Mr. Depp's actions prove he is unable to accept the truth of his ongoing abusive behaviour. But while he appears hell-bent on achieving self-destruction, we will prevail in defeating this groundless lawsuit and ending the continued vile harassment of my client by Mr. Depp and his legal team."
Amber's lawyer's statement comes after Johnny filed his defamation suit.
Court documents obtained by The Blast state: "Ms. Heard purported to write from the perspective of 'a public figure representing domestic abuse' and claimed that she 'felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out' when she 'spoke up against sexual violence.' The article depends on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her ... The op-ed's clear implication that Mr. Depp is a domestic abuse is categorically and demonstrably false. Mr. Depp never abused Ms. Heard. Her allegations against him were false when they were made in 2016. They were an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Ms. Heard and advance her career."
Whilst Amber's article doesn't specifically mention Johnny, she said she has personally "felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out" against domestic violence.
She said: "I write this as a woman who had to change my phone number weekly because I was getting death threats. For months, I rarely left my apartment... I felt as though I was on trial in the court of public opinion - and my life and livelihood depended on myriad judgements far beyond my control."
Johnny, 55, and Amber, 32, met on the set of 2011 movie 'The Rum Diary' and tied the knot four years later in February 2015. They split in May 2016, when Amber filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Johnny, accusing him of abusing her.
They later settled their divorce out of court, with Johnny paying Amber $7 million which she donated to charity. Both signed Non Disclosure Agreements, preventing them from discussing their relationship.
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