Unsealed pretrial documents show that Johnny Depp apparently refused to wear a mask for a January 2022 deposition during the COVID Omicron surge.
Several bombshell details surrounding the Depp vs. Heard trial have come to light in recent days after more than 6,000 pages of documents were unsealed and posted online.
The filings show texts between Depp and musician Marilyn Manson, accusations of altering photos of alleged injuries, claims of erectile dysfunction leading to violence and more.
The documents, obtained by Newsweek, include a motion filed by Heard's attorneys to "protect all individuals attending" a deposition of Heard in January 2022 in relation to COVID safety protocols.
Correspondence between Heard's attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, and Depp's attorney, Ben Chew, is included and shows a back and forth over the wearing of masks and other safety procedures.
"Ms. Heard must, unfortunately, bring this Emergency Motion because Mr. Depp 1) refuses to honor his earlier agreement, in writing, to ensure the same safety and health protocols will be in place that Ms. Heard implemented for the deposition of Mr. Depp; 2) demands Ms. Heard violate [redacted] law by not wearing a mask while being deposed; and 3) refuses to require all persons present wear K95 or K.N95 masks consistent with CDC guidelines to protect against the Omicron variant," the emergency motion from Heard's team reads.
The filing also states that Depp's counsel "refused to wear masks themselves for the deposition and refused to agree to ensure the court reporter and videographer had received COVID-19 shots."
In an email sent by Bredehoft to Depp's team on December 29, 2021, the attorney wrote about Heard's concern about the growing threat of the Omicron variant and her wish to take part in the upcoming deposition via Zoom.
"As you are also aware, Amber has a 9-month-old daughter, and she is currently living with her sister who has a 2- year-old toddler and is pregnant," Bredehoft wrote. "This heightens the risks and danger. We believe these factors all suggest that a deposition of Amber by Zoom makes the most sense at this stage."
In response, Depp's lawyer said that his client "hereby REJECTS Ms. Heard's latest proposed dodge."
He goes on to say that Heard and her counsel are "again acting in bad faith" and said that they will proceed with the in-person deposition at their Orange County offices on January 12, 13, and 14, 2022.
As for the COVID safety measure, lawyer Chew wrote that they "agreed to take the same safety measures, and assured you that the two attorneys who will be taking Ms. Heard's deposition—myself and Camille Vasquez—have not only been double-vaxxed, but also have taken the booster."
He added that the idea that Heard would COVID use as "a pretext to avoid accountability" would be "another low, except when the sources are considered."
Newsweek has contacted Depp's representatives for comment.
The recently unsealed documents also show that Depp was accused of altering evidence of alleged injuries.
The filings also showed that Marilyn Manson texted Depp in 2016 to say that his girlfriend had "pulled an Amber."
They have also revealed that Depp's team wanted to introduce evidence in that case that Heard previously worked as an "exotic dancer" years before she met Depp.
