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Johnny Depp Blames Assault Accuser For Their Own On-Set Injuries
Johnny Depp is fighting back at claims he assaulted location manager Gregg "Rocky" Brooks on the set of City of Lies. Brooks sued Depp for the alleged assault back in June, claiming Depp struck Brooks multiple times in the rib cage on the set last April. The alleged incident was sparked when Brooks told Depp that filming on that particular night was going to run late, which led to Depp reportedly screaming at and berating Brooks in front of multiple people on the set.
Brooks' initial lawsuit then claimed that, upon returning to work on the following Monday, he was approached by producers who presented him with a document they wanted him to sign, which would have prohibited him from filing a lawsuit against the production. When Brooks refused to sign it, he was then fired from the project. A few weeks ago, distributor Global Road pulled City of Lies from its release schedule, just one month before it was slated to open in September, with no plans for its release being set for the future.
As for the accusations levied against him, new legal documents obtained by The Wrap do not admit that Depp, or any of his other co-defendants - including director Brad Furman - actually struck Brooks. The documents claim that any injuries Brooks may have suffered were the result of an incident that Brooks himself "provoked," which Depp's legal team described as, "unlawful and wrongful conduct." The documents go on to add that Brooks' behavior caused both Depp and Furman to fear for their safety. Depp's lawyer, Adam Waldman, also released a statement, stating, "Johnny Depp never touched the person suing him," and claiming to have more than a dozen witnesses backing up his client.
The original lawsuit filed by Brooks in June stated that the incident took place while filming at the Barclay Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, and the production had permits to shoot the exterior of the hotel until 7 PM, and inside the interior until 10 PM. The production was granted an extension to shoot until 10:50 PM, with Brooks tasked as being the person to notify Depp that filming would run late. Brooks alleged that he wanted one of the on-set LAPD officers to escort him, knowing Depp might be upset, but before Brooks could get help from the officer, Depp reportedly accosted Brooks, screaming, "Who the f--- are you? You have no right to tell me what to do!" The lawsuit also alleges that Depp punched Brooks in the rib cage, before screaming at him and saying he would give him $100,000 to punch him in the face. The actor's security then physically removed Depp from the scene.
Depp, who's long been under fire due to abuse allegations made by his ex-wife Amber Heard, answered Brooks' lawsuit with a filing, asking for a judgment in his favor and that the cost of the suit he was wearing, plus his lawyers fees and "further relief" be returned to him. After the spousal abuse allegations surfaced, many fans were angry that he wasn't removed from blockbuster sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - where he'll portray dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald - although many came to his defense, such as author/screenwriter J.K. Rowling. Whether or not Depp's career can continue to survive all of these various ongoing scandals remains to be seen.
