Johnny Depp acted in self defense

20 August 2018

Johnny Depp has claimed he acted in self defense when he allegedly hit a location manager on 'City of Lies'.

Johnny Depp

Gregg 'Rocky' Brooks filed court documents last month, in which he accused the actor of "maliciously and forcefully" punching him twice in his ribs before saying he'd pay the location manager $100,000 to "punch [him] in the face" in April 2017, and though the 55-year-old star hasn't denied lashing out, he has argued any violence brought upon the man was because Johnny "feared for his safety".

And documents obtained by The Blast claimed the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor wasn't only scared for himself, but allegedly observed his director, Brad Furman, also feared for his safety.

He believes the alleged assault was in self defense and the "defense of others", and has asked for the case to be dismissed and his accuser not to receive any compensation.

In Gregg's legal documents, the crew member slammed the 'Lone Ranger' star over his conduct, alleging he "was intentional and malicious and done for the purpose of causing plaintiff to suffer humiliation."

And he claimed Johnny's "intoxication and temper created a hostile, abusive and unsafe work environment," which eventually resulted in him being assaulted by Johnny during filming of the crime thriller when he tried to enforce a permit restriction during a late night of filming.

Gregg claimed he was eventually fired from the movie when he refused to sign a release waiving his right to sue over the incident.

His attorney, Arbella Azizian, said in a statement: "My client wants to make sure Mr. Depp is held accountable for his conduct on set so that, in the future, others will not be put in the same situation."

When reports of an alleged altercation were first raised earlier this year, director Brad Furman defended Johnny and praised the actor as a "consummate professional".

He said in a statement: "Johnny Depp is a consummate professional, great collaborator and a supporter of other artists.

"He always treats the crew and people around him with the utmost respect.

"Movies can be stressful, and nonevents often become exaggerated. We all love stories -- there isn't one here."

'City of Lies' - which is based around the murder investigations of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur - was originally scheduled to be released next month, but it has been pushed back and a new release date has not yet been confirmed.