Yesterday I posted about Johnny Depp’s friend, Doug Stanhope, who wrote an essay for The Wrap defending Johnny and accusing Amber Heard of blackmailing Johnny and making up the entire mess that we’ve all been watching for a week now. Click here for a refresher. Her lawyer then released a statement calling Doug’s comments “defamatory”, “unequivocally false”, and “outrageous”. And today she went to the police. You’ll recall, on Saturday night, when the alleged incident went down and Johnny threw the phone and bruised her face, Amber did not tell the cops what happened. Which many have taken to mean that nothing happened. Which…again… reinforces the idea that all victims must behave in a prescribed – and perfect – way to be believed. After officially giving the police her statement today, her attorney has released an explanation, giving background information about the events that have led up to this point. Just Jared has posted the statement in its entirety – see below:

“As the result of Amber’s decision to decline giving an initial statement to the LAPD, her silence has been used against her by Johnny’s team. Amber did not provide a statement to the LAPD in an attempt to protect her privacy and Johnny’s career. Johnny’s team has forced Amber to give a statement to the LAPD to set the record straight as to the true facts, as she cannot continue to leave herself open to the vicious false and malicious allegations that have infected the media. Amber has suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny. In domestic violence cases, it is not unusual for the perpetrator’s playbook to include miscasting the victim as the villain,” the statement continued. “In reality, Amber acted no differently than many victims of domestic violence, who think first of the harm that might come to the abuser, rather than the abuse they have already suffered. Amber can no longer endure the relentless attacks and outright lies launched against her character in the Court of Public Opinion since the tragic events of May 21st. With her statement Amber hopes to give the LAPD the opportunity to conduct an accurate and complete investigation into the events of that evening and before. If that occurs, and the truth is revealed, there is no doubt that Amber’s claims will be substantiated beyond any doubt, and hopefully Johnny will get the help that he so desperately needs.

From the beginning it has been Amber’s desire to keep this matter as private as possible, even though LAPD officers responded to a 911 call made by a third-party. The LAPD officers viewed not only the disarray that Johnny had caused in the apartment but also the physical injuries to Amber’s face. We filed the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage at the very end of the day on Monday May 23rd and we did not serve Johnny with the Petition at the premiere of Alice Through the Looking Glass that evening. We sent a letter to Johnny’s counsel team the next morning making it clear we wanted to keep this matter out of the media. We then held off requesting a domestic violence restraining order as we knew that Johnny was out of the country.

We took the high road. Unfortunately, Johnny’s team immediately went to the press and began viciously attacking Amber’s character. Amber is simply a victim of domestic violence, and none of her actions are motivated by money. Amber is a brave and financially independent woman who is showing the courage of her convictions by doing the right thing against Johnny’s relentless army of lawyers and surrogates. The Family Law Court is not going to be influenced by misinformation placed in the social media based on anonymous sources. Amber is the victim. Amber is a hero.”

So now begins the investigation. The sides will mobilise. And all of it on public record. Initially it was reported that she had more photos, and video too. As you know, she also has witnesses who were there that night and friends who can speak to the ongoing abuse… including, perhaps, Amanda de Cadenet who was with her the day after the alleged incident, last Sunday, and posted that photo of them where Amber's hair was covering her bruise.


Amanda has been commenting on social media. Vaguely. But check out what was tweeted at me earlier today:


Amanda isn't saying much, but she's saying enough. And she seems to be responding to people who are pro-Depp. Yesterday when I wrote about Johnny and Doug Stanhope, I talked about motive and motivation. Click here for a refresher. Amanda de Cadenet is one of the few people in this situation who isn't motivated either way to side with one or the other. She's not paid by Johnny Depp. She has nothing, professionally, to gain from Amber Heard. But she will be very influential among a certain crowd - Gwyneth and that whole crew. Because if Johnny is mobilising producers and studio executives against her, attempting to use his influence to isolate and marginalise her, Amber will be calling on a base of support too.