‘Not abusive’: US actor Johnny Depp’s ex-partners come to his defence in his libel suit against UK tabloid The Sun
- The star is suing the British newspaper over a 2018 report that referred to him as a ‘wife-beater’
- Vanessa Paradis, who was Depp’s partner for 14 years, says he is a ‘kind, attentive, generous, and non-violent person and father’
Two former romantic partners of actor Johnny Depp came to his defence on Wednesday in his libel suit against British newspaper The Sun, dismissing claims that he was violent or abusive.
In a hearing conducted remotely, lawyers for Depp argued that statements from Ryder and Paradis should be included as evidence in the actor’s case against the publisher.
“We’ve been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together,’’ Paradis said, court documents show. “Through all these years, I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous, and non-violent person and father.”
She added that he was “never violent or abusive”.
Depp’s lawyers also want to include evidence from Ryder, who was in a relationship with the star in the 1990s.
“I cannot wrap my head around [Heard’s] accusations,’’ she said according to the documents. “He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me.”
A two-week trial was due to start in London on March 25, but it was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The case is now scheduled for July.
