By now, many residents of Texas and elsewhere are familiar with the contentious divorce involving actors Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard. As you may know, when their marriage ended, Ms. Heard accused Mr. Depp of physically abusing her. At the law office of Lisa E. McKnight, P.C., we understand that divorces involving allegations of domestic violence can be especially heartbreaking, contentious and confusing.
The case involving Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard continues to be difficult to follow, as you may also know. People recently reported that Mr. Depp responded to an op-ed piece written by Ms. Heard, in which she claims to be a sexual assault and domestic violence victim without outright naming Mr. Depp, by filing a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife. He claims that he never physically harmed her and that she made false claims of abuse to advance her career and generate positive publicity.
The public may never know the truth about the famous couple’s tumultuous marriage, since both Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard signed non-disclosure agreements about the details of their relationship. Also, as you may understand, it can be hard to determine who is telling the truth if someone makes a claim of domestic violence and the other person denies abuse. It is possible both for a spouse to make a false claim of domestic violence, as well as an abusive spouse to say he or she never caused harm. As our page on divorce explains, contentious and complex divorce issues often require experienced legal counsel.