Amber Heard Details Alleged Abuse In New Court Docs, Claims Ex Johnny Depp Was A 'Violent' 'Monster'

In new court filings, actress Amber Heard has detailed the alleged abuse she endured during her marriage to Johnny Depp, who she said transformed into a “monster” when under the effects of drugs or alcohol.

Heard and Depp were married in 2015 but split up one year later, around the same time Heard accused Depp of being abusive and sought a restraining order. The couple ultimately settled their divorce out of court, but they may see the inside of a court room again soon enough; Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard last month, in response to a piece Heard wrote for The Washington Post in December dealing with abuse (she did not mention Depp by name).

Now, Heard has responded by detailing Depp’s alleged abuse in a court filing of her own. The 32-year-old filed a motion on Thursday requesting that a judge dismiss Depp’s suit, E! News reports. In court documents, obtained by Page Six, Heard describes in detail the abuse she claims Depp inflicted on her, recalling multiple instances when the 55-year-old “Pirates Of The Caribbean” actor allegedly hit her, choked her, threw things at her, and ripped out her hair.

Depp became a “monster” and was “violent” when he drank or was under the influence of drugs, she alleged.

“Whenever he was using, I worried for both of us. He would become a totally different person, often delusional and violent,” she said. “We called that version of Johnny, ‘the Monster.”

Heard said that after Depp sobered up, he often did not remember the things he had done, and would promise to change.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard attend The 58th Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: John Shearer/WireImage via Getty Images

She recalled one incident from May 2014, when she and Depp were on a private plane traveling from Boston to Los Angeles. Depp was drunk early during the flight, she alleged, and he began to “throw objects” at her because he was upset that she’d filmed a romantic scene with actor James Franco the previous day. He then “taunted me by yelling out the name ‘James Franco,’” she said.

“At some point, I stood up, and Johnny kicked me in the back, causing me to fall over. Johnny threw his boot at me while I was on the ground,” she claimed. “Johnny continued to scream obscenities until he went into the plane bathroom and passed out locked in the bathroom for the remainder of the flight.”

Depp apologized to her via text message the following day, she said.

Heard went on to recount another alleged violent incident that occurred in March 2015, one month after she and Depp tied the knot. She claimed they were in Australia and Depp had taken MDMA and ecstasy; he then allegedly slapped and pushed her during an argument before she locked herself in a bedroom for the remainder of the night. When she got up the next morning, Depp had not slept because of the effects of the drugs, and he was drinking, she said; another argument turned physical, leading her to lock herself in another room, but Depp forced his way through the door, she claimed.

“By nightfall, Johnny had hit me multiple times, shoved and pushed me to the ground, choked me, and spit in my face,” she said. The abuse continued for three days, she said, until Depp was hospitalized and she was left with “a busted lip, a swollen nose, and cuts all over my body.”

Heard did admit to hitting Depp, but alleged that it only happened once, and that she did it to defend her sister, who’d gotten in between her and Depp during an argument. She was afraid that Depp would push her down the stairs, she claimed.

“Johnny turned his attention to Whitney, who was standing on the top of a flight of stairs, and moved on her. Acting in defense of my sister, as I was scared for her physical safety, I punched Johnny in the face to draw his attention away from her,” she said. “That was the only time I ever hit Johnny.”

Heard recalled numerous other occasions of alleged abuse, including instances where Depp dragged her around the house by her hair and threatened to kill her. Attorneys for both parties failed to respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Heard first publicly accused Depp of being abusive when she requested a restraining order against him in May 2016, shortly after she filed for divorce. A judge granted the request, and the former couple settled their divorce out of court in August, with Depp agreeing to pay $7 million to Heard (which she, in turn, donated to charity) and Heard withdrawing her abuse claims, according to Vanity Fair.

Depp has steadfastly denied abusing Heard, and claimed in his defamation suit that his ex-wife’s claims were a “hoax,” PEOPLE reports.

“Mr. Depp never abused Ms. Heard. Her allegations against him were false when they were made in 2016. They were part of an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Ms. Heard and advance her career,” the suit reads.

Depp’s lawyers described Heard’s suggestions that Depp was abusive during their relationship as “categorically and demonstrably false,” and claimed that her allegations cost him his role in the “Pirates” franchise, according to the outlet.

Heard’s representatives defended the actress in a statement to PEOPLE, which reads, “This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp’s repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard. She will not be silenced. Mr. Depp’s actions prove he is unable to accept the truth of his ongoing abusive behavior. But while he appears hell-bent on achieving self destruction, we will prevail in defeating this groundless lawsuit and ending the continued vile harassment of my client by Mr. Depp and his legal team.”