Johnny Depp sues former managers for US$25m as divorce with Amber Heard finalises

Johnny Depp sued his former business managers on Friday alleging they mismanaged his earnings throughout a lucrative period of his career, although the company says the actor’s spending is to blame.

Depp’s lawsuit against his former mangers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against The Management Group seeks more than US$25 million, alleging its owners failed to properly pay his taxes, made unauthorised loans and overpaid for security and other services.

Michael J. Kump, an attorney for The Management Group, calls Depp’s lawsuit a “fabrication” and wrote in a statement that Depp never alleged any wrongdoing. The company “did everything possible to protect Depp from his irresponsible and profligate spending,” Kump wrote.

Depp’s lawsuit accuses the company and its owners, attorneys Joel and Robert Mandel, of receiving US$28 million in payments for their services over the roughly 16 years they managed his finances. The company “actively concealed the true state of Mr Depp’s finances while driving him deeper and deeper into financial distress”, the lawsuit states.

Depp hired the Mandels in 1999 and their compensation was not subject to a written contract, his lawsuit states. It states they received 5 per cent of his income on hit films such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise and other major releases, including Alice in Wonderland and the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It alleges the company failed to file Depp’s tax returns on time, costing him nearly US$5.7 million in penalties. The lawsuit also alleges the company overpaid for several services, including forgetting to terminate the lease on a home where Depp’s mother lived temporarily, and spending US$8 million on security between 2012 and 2015 alone.

Depp’s learned of the problems after hiring a new management company in March 2016, the complaint states.