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Less than a week after filing a restraining order against her estranged husband, Amber Heard's character has been called into question.
The actress, who was married to Johnny Depp for 15 months before filing for divorce, subsequently filed a temporary restraining order against the Academy Award nominee on Friday, alleging repeated physical and verbal abuse. The request was granted by a judge, mandating that Depp stay 100 yards away from Heard until a hearing in June.
As news broke of the actress' allegations against the star, many on social media accused her of faking the claims in order to make the most money in the divorce, for which there is no prenuptial agreement. However, Heard's lawyers are speaking out against the many accusations trailing their client, particularly regarding why she did not give an initial statement to the police on May 21.
That Saturday evening, Heard claimed in court documents obtained by E! News that Depp arrived to their penthouse drunk and high, made "paranoid and irrational accusations" against her and ultimately pulled her hair, struck her with a cellphone and violently grabbed her face. An unidentified third party contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, but when officers arrived at the home, an LAPD spokesperson told E! News the alleged victim decided not to file a report and police concluded no crime had occurred and left.
Heard's legal team blames her initial silence on a desire to protect Depp.
"As the result of Amber's decision to decline giving an initial statement to the LAPD, her silence has been used against her by Johnny's team. Amber did not provide a statement to the LAPD in an attempt to protect her privacy and Johnny's career," lead attorney Samantha F. Spector and co-counsel Joseph P. Koenig told E! News in a statement.
"Johnny's team has forced Amber to give a statement to the LAPD to set the record straight as to the true facts, as she cannot continue to leave herself open to the vicious false and malicious allegations that have infected the media."
Instead, Spector and Koenig claim Heard's initial silence was a typical response expected of a domestic abuse victim.
"Amber has suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny," the team continued. "In domestic violence cases, it is not unusual for the perpetrator's playbook to include miscasting the victim as the villain. In reality, Amber acted no differently than many victims of domestic violence, who think first of the harm that might come to the abuser, rather than the abuse they have already suffered."
The attorneys allege they acted privately to prevent the couple's personal issues from leaking into the press.
"From the beginning it has been Amber's desire to keep this matter as private as possible, even though LAPD officers responded to a 911 call made by a third-party," Spector and Koenig continued.
"The LAPD officers viewed not only the disarray that Johnny had caused in the apartment but also the physical injuries to Amber's face. We filed the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage at the very end of the day on Monday May 23rd and we did not serve Johnny with the Petition at the premiere of Alice Through the Looking Glass that evening. We sent a letter to Johnny's counsel team the next morning making it clear we wanted to keep this matter out of the media. We then held off requesting a domestic violence restraining order as we knew that Johnny was out of the country."
As for her personal finances, Heard, whose average monthly expenses are approximately $43,700, was denied her $50,000 request for spousal support because financial arrangements have yet to be discussed with Depp.
"As a successful actress with significant income of her own, there is no question that Amber can support herself until the parties have had a reasonable amount of time to assess their finances with the assistance of counsel and then negotiate a mutually agreeable resolution or seek regularly-noticed court orders," Depp's attorney Laura Wasser said in response to the request. Meanwhile, Heard's legal team maintains that this case is not about the dollar sign.
"We took the high road. Unfortunately, Johnny's team immediately went to the press and began viciously attacking Amber's character," the lawyers added. "Amber is simply a victim of domestic violence, and none of her actions are motivated by money. Amber is a brave and financially independent woman who is showing the courage of her convictions by doing the right thing against Johnny's relentless army of lawyers and surrogates."
"Amber is a hero," Heard's lawyers concluded.
We have reached out to Depp's team for comment on these most recent allegations. At the time of the divorce filing, Depp's rep told E! News in a statement, "Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life. Hopefully the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly."
For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-7233.