It’s not about the money. Amber Heard’s lawyer has filed a declaration to withdraw her request for temporary spousal support from the actress’ estranged husband, Johnny Depp, according to TMZ.
Heard, 30, claimed that she believed it was standard to ask for in divorce cases, but now she feels it’s drawing attention away from her alleged abuse. In the court documents obtained by TMZ, she states that it’s being “used against me to distract and divert the public away from the very serious real issue of domestic violence.”
However, she hasn’t completely given up any chance of receiving spousal support long term. The documents also state that she reserves the right to request alimony after the restraining order she filed against Depp is handled.
The exes are due in court this Friday, June 17, for a hearing about the restraining order. Depp, 53, was previously touring Europe with his band, Hollywood Vampires, and he is now enjoying a vacation on his private island in the Bahamas, where he and Heard married in 2015.
As Us Weekly previously reported, Heard filed for divorce from Depp on May 23 after 15 months of marriage and requested spousal support. The Alice Through the Looking Glass actor, worth a reported $400 million, later rejected her petition. A few days later, the Danish Girl actress was granted a restraining order after she claimed that Depp physically abused her on multiple occasions and even brought photographic evidence of the alleged abuse.
“Given the brevity of this marriage and the most tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life,” the actor’s rep told Us Weekly on May 26. “Hopefully, the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly.”
The actress claimed that Depp hurled a cellphone at her face on May 21, two days before she filed for divorce. However, police told Us that when they were called to the couple’s L.A. home that night they saw no signs of abuse. Depp’s divorce attorney, Laura Wasser, said that Heard is “attempting to secure” financial gain with her abuse accusations.
The split got even messier when Depp’s close pal Doug Stanhope wrote an op-ed for The Wrap that claimed Depp told him that Heard threatened to blackmail the actor if she did not receive what she wanted from the divorce. The Rum Diary actress’ lawyer, Peter Sample, fired back that the allegations were “absolutely and unequivocally false.” Text messages also surfaced that were reportedly exchanged between Heard and Depp’s assistant Stephen Deuters that graphically detailed instances of abuse, but Deuters later said the messages were heavily doctored.
While Depp’s camp, including his 17-year-old daughter, Lily-Rose, and his former partner of 14 years, Vanessa Paradis, have defended the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, a source close to Heard says she simply wants out of a violent situation. “This isn’t about money,” a pal previously told Us. “All Amber did was try to get out of a marriage because she was suffering from abuse.”
