NEWSMore Legal Woes? Crew Member Sues Johnny Depp For Allegedly Punching Him On Set
As Johnny Depp celebrates his recent defamation trial win against estranged ex-wife Amber Heard, a former crewmember who once worked with him on set is still waiting for his day in court.
Gregg "Rocky" Brooks is suing the Pirates of the Caribbean actor for allegedly punching him in the ribs in a physical altercation that occurred back in 2017.
Brooks filed the lawsuit in the city of Los Angeles the following year, alleging Depp caused him "emotional distress" after hitting him twice. Now, the crewmember's attorney, Pat Harris, is hoping people will remember that Depp's recent legal win "has no relevance to Mr. Brooks' case."
"Brooks' case is not about two Hollywood celebrities involved in a toxic relationship," Harris reportedly told The Sun. "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."
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The court documents explained the incident occurred while shooting the 2018 crime drama City of Lies in which Depp played a law enforcement officer investigating the murder of the rapper Notorious B.I.G. a.k.a Biggie Smalls. Brooks reportedly claimed the scene they were shooting was not working out as planned, so he told both the director and Depp they only had time for one more shot.
The Fantastic Beasts actor allegedly became furious and yelled, "who the f*** are you? You have no right to tell me what to do!" and punched him twice in the rib cage. When Brooks didn't respond, the documents stated Depp screamed at him, "I will give you $100,000 to punch me in the face right now."
Depp responded to the court filing insisting Brooks was injured due to "self defense/defense of others" and that the crewmember was the one who "provoked" the altercation.
This may not be the only legal drama the embattled star has to deal with in the near future. As OK! reported, Heard is planning to appeal the jury's decision in the bombshell $50 million defamation trial. The court found the Aquaman actress was liable for defamation against her ex-husband, who was then awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.
"She was demonized here," Heard's lawyer Elaine Bredehoft told Savannah Guthrie on NBC's Today after the verdict. "A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused."
