Johnny Depp has has been embroiled in a number of legal battles over the last couple of years. Currently, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor is involved in a pair of major lawsuits. One is a defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard, the other is a libel suit against, the U.K. paper, The Sun. This latter suit took a new turn recently when Depp's former partner Vanessa Paradis reportedly spoke on the record in his defense, claiming that Depp is a "kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person."
In April of 2018 the U.K. paper The Sun published a story about Johnny Depp's casting in the Fantastic Beasts franchise in which the paper referred to the actor as a "wife-beater." The article was referring to claims that have been made by Depp's ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, but Depp's side denies that any abuse took place and is suing the paper for libel for making the "wife-beater" claim.
Johnny Depp and singer/actress Vanessa Paradis were in a relationship from 1998 until 2012. The pair have two children.
The comments reported by the Daily Mail from Vanessa Paradis come following similar statements made in the other ongoing Johnny Depp lawsuit, the defamation case against Amber Heard. Depp's ex-fiancee Winona Ryder reportedly stated that she was "shocked, confused and upset" by the claims made by Amber Heard, as the details of Depp's alleged acts against Heard were far from the person that Rider had been engaged to. She reportedly claimed Depp had never been violent or abusive during their relationship.
As part of the recent hearing in the libel case, Johnny Depp's lawyers want to add Winona Ryder's testimony in the defamation case into evidence in the libel case. The case was supposed to go before a judge in March, but was put put on hold following the cornoavirus outbreak.
Vanessa Pardis and Winona Ryder are just the latest celebrities to have become part of the ongoing legals battles involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Previously, James Franco was pulled into the case due to an interaction he had with Heard following an alleged abuse incident. Marvel actor Paul Bettany reportedly saw text messages sent between himself and Depp read into evidence in the libel case back in February.
The defamation case came after Amber Heard wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post where she accused Johnny Depp of abuse. Depp's lawsuit claims that Disney's decision to move on with the Pirates of the Caribbean without him resulted from the claims, thus causing him financial injury.
Needless to say, since neither of these legal battles has even gone before a judge, we likely haven't heard the end of either one. The libel trial against The Sun is now set for July, with social distancing guidelines in place. The defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is expected to go to trial in August.
