It looks like Johnny Depp’s long hot summer of courtroom battles is not over yet. Coming on the heels of a victory in his defamation lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard, the soon-to-be 59-year-old will be back in court in July. This time, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor will be facing assault allegations brought against him by Greg “Rocky” Brooks, a movie location manager. According to Brooks, who was working with Depp on the set of a movie about Notorious B.I.G.’s death, Depp reportedly punched him more than once in 2017. Brooks states that he told the director of City of Lies that they needed to wrap everything up for the day and that Depp’s next take needed to be his last.
A personal injury lawsuit was filed by Brooks on July 6, 2018, against Depp in Los Angeles County Superior Courts, Stanley Mosk Courthouse located in Los Angeles. The trial had been delayed up until, and Camille Marilia Vasquez, who represented Depp in the recent Virginia court case and is now an internet sensation, is documented as his attorney for the upcoming case as well.
What Brooks Has to Say About Johnny Depp
Brooks alleges that he was tasked with informing Depp he needed to end shooting for the night, a task he believes should have fallen to the director. He went to look for the on set security guard to accompany him as he told Depp, but states that the actor approached him first. Brooks noted that Depp smelled of alcohol and behaved as if he was drunk before punching “angrily and forcefully” twice in the ribs. Depp reportedly then yelled:
“I will give you one hundred thousand dollars to punch me in the face right now!”
When Brooks returned to the set the following week, he was allegedly asked to sign a document stating that he would not sue Depp or the production team over what happened. He declined and was removed from production. So far, Depp and the rest of the production team have not commented on the upcoming trial.
Reportedly, despite Depp’s recent win in his libel case, which gripped audiences, the 61-year-old Brooks is looking forward to his day in court. Brooks’s lawyer, Pat Harris, told The Sun regarding the Heard lawsuit:
“While we respect the jury’s decision, it has no relevance to Mr. Brooks’s case in Los Angeles. Brooks’s case is not about two Hollywood celebrities involved in a toxic relationship. It is about the assault of a hard-working film crew member by the star of the production. Mr. Brooks looks forward to his day in court.”
In addition to Depp, there are several other defendants. Depp is expected to testify that he did not hit Brooks but rather confronted him verbally after he saw Brooks acting belligerently toward a woman on set.