Newly released photos first obtained by People feature the actress and model with bruises on her face and a cut on her lip.
Amber Heard, who filed for divorce on May 23, alleges she has been a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her estranged husband, Johnny Depp.
A source close to her told E! Online the injuries occurred in December 2015, when Depp allegedly tried to hurt his wife with a pillow.
Heard mentioned the incident on Friday in her court declaration seeking a restraining order against the 52-year-old actor. A judge granted her request, meaning that Depp is temporarily required to stay at least 100 yards away from the actress. A hearing will be held on June 17, Los Angeles Times reported.
“There also have been several prior incidents of domestic violence with Johnny, in particular there was one severe incident in December 2015 when I truly feared that my life was in danger,” Heard said in her court declaration, as quoted by E! Online.
She didn’t provide details on that incident.
Not an easy tale to tell for Heard
The 30-year-old actress also declared that Depp, “inebriated and high,” “grabbed me by the hair and violently shoved me to the floor” following an argument after Heard celebrated her birthday with friends. The incident, she said, took place on an April evening when Depp arrived at the couple’s loft in Los Angeles.
Moreover, she mentioned a separate incident that took place on May 21, when LAPD officers responded to a call, but no police report was filed, according to The Times. Capt. Don Graham, who oversees the LAPD’s Central Division, told the newspaper on Friday that officers spoke to the actress when they arrived at the loft. However, she told them it was a “verbal dispute only” and the officers did not find any evidence of a crime.
Amber added that Depp has been experiencing contradictory attitudes for a few months and has fought with drug abuse “for quite some time.” A separate source told E! Online that the actor’s actions have been influenced by his drug use.
The source also alleged that friends close to the couple’s conflict have told the loving guy he is by nature can be completely gone in a matter of a few hours when he allegedly becomes an entirely different person.
Samantha F. Spector and Joseph P. Koenig, Heard’s lawyers, argue that the actress and model had refused to reveal the domestic violence she has been suffering because she wanted to protect her privacy and Depp’s career, according to The Times.
The lawyers said in a statement issued on Tuesday that Amber acted like many other victims who consider the consequences the abuser might suffer from instead of thinking about their pain.
Depp has not responded to requests for comments
The actor, who continues touring with his band The Hollywood Vampires and is set to return to the United States after June 7, has remained quiet on Heard’s allegations. After the couple had filed for divorce, his rep told E! News that Depp would not respond “to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life” due to “the brevity of this marriage” and the actor’s recent loss of his mother. The rep added that the official end of the wedding would hopefully be resolved as soon as possible.
Last Friday, Depp’s lawyer Laura Wasser accused Heard of alleging domestic abuse to ensure a premature financial resolution as a consequence of the negative comments about her the media released earlier that week, as reported by The Times.
Wasser also included in the legal documentation her client’s wish to establish a mutual stay-away, as well as personal conduct orders.
Source: Los Angeles Times