Hollywood actress Amber Heard has dropped her spousal support request in her ongoing, bitter divorce battle with Johnny Depp. Court documents reveal that Heard withdrew her plea, which requested $50,000 per month, after it drew negative attention from the media.
The actress claimed the request was used against her to divert the public’s attention away from the “very real serious issue of domestic violence.”
In May, the court granted Heard a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband amid allegations of domestic abuse.
Courts extended the restraining order until a hearing on August 15. At the hearing, the court will decide whether to make the restraining order permanent.
Laura Wesser, Johnny Depp’s attorney, says the hearing should move forward as quickly as possible to avoid damaging his career and reputation.
In the documents, Heard says the media falsely depicted her restraining order request as being financially motivated, citing this as her reasoning for withdrawing her request for spousal support.
Amber Heard filed for divorce from husband Johnny Depp on May 23, just 15 months after tying the knot. The actress claimed Depp was physically and mentally abusive during their short marriage.
In the initial court filing for spousal support, Heard revealed her income and monthly expenses, which totaled $40,000. Heard’s expenses include $2,000 for food, $3,000 for medical care, $10,000 for rent, $10,000 for vacation and entertainment and an additional $10,000 for miscellaneous expenses. The actress earned $259,876 last year, but after a laundry list of expenses, she only took home $51,461.
What’s next for the Depp vs. Heard divorce? Now that Heard has withdrawn her request for spousal support, much of the divorce’s second phase will likely take place behind closed doors, divorce lawyers say.
The media and celeb-watchers who have been following this case closely will be disappointed to learn that the actual financial settlement agreement will likely not be a part of the public court record.
Divorce lawyers say Depp’s best course of action is to aggressively defend the domestic violence claim, and continue saying no to Heard’s demand. Due to the brevity of the marriage and Heard’s earning capacity, it’s unlikely that she will be granted spousal support.
Heard’s domestic violence claim has been scrutinized intensely by the media, with many rushing to Depp’s defense. Two concierges in the actress’s apartment building say she had no facial injuries in the days following the alleged incident, which occurred on May 21.
Police officers were called to the scene on May 21, and say Heard did not offer evidence of abuse, nor did she want to file a report. The police left Heard’s home after concluding there was no evidence of a crime.
A domestic violence claim wouldn’t necessarily add to Heard’s case. History suggests that accusations of violence and scandal don’t always have a financial impact on high-profile divorce case.
If Heard and Depp do settle financial matters outside of court, it’s unlikely that she will be able to file a lawsuit for alleged domestic violence against her estranged husband.
George is the CEO of Expat Group Limited, based in Hong Kong.