Depp ‘kind and non-violent’ says ex Paradis ahead oflibelcase
JOHNNY DEPP’S ex-partner Vanessa Paradis has said he is a “kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father”, according to court documents in his libel claim against the ‘Sun’ newspaper.
The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star is suing the British tabloid’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an April 2018 article which referred to the 56-year-old as a “wife-beater”.
The article related to allegations made against Mr Depp by his former wife, actress Amber Heard, which the actor strenuously denies.
Lawyers for Mr Depp are seeking to admit evidence from Ms Paradis, who has two children with him, as part of his case against the publisher, which is due to be tried at the High Court in London in July.
David Sherborne, representing Mr Depp, said in court documents that his relationship with Ms Paradis ended in 2012, shortly before he and Ms Heard were together, “and when he is first alleged to have been violent”.
In a witness statement, Ms Paradis said: “I have known Johnny for more than 25 years. We’ve been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together.
“Through all these years I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father. He was never violent or abusive to me.”
At a hearing conducted remotely via Skype yesterday, Mr Depp’s lawyers also said they wish to adduce evidence from actress Winona Ryder, who was in a relationship with the star in the 1990s.
In her statement, Ms Ryder said: “I cannot wrap my head around (Ms Heard’s) accusations. He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me.”
Mr Justice Andrew Nicol, hearing the case, previously ruled parts of Ms Heard’s evidence, relating to allegations of sexual violence, will be heard in private.
He made his ruling following an application by lawyers for NGN, saying the orders sought by the publishers were “necessary and proportionate”.
The exact nature of the allegations was not disclosed.
Mr Sherborne said Mr Depp denies he has ever hit any woman, and accuses Ms Heard of being “abusive and physically aggressive”, which she vehemently denies.
The libel claim arises out of an article in the ‘Sun’ in April 2018, under the headline “Gone Potty – How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”