Johnny Depp reaches settlement in assault case from ‘City of Lies’ crew member ahead of trial


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Johnny Depp settled a 2018 lawsuit brought against him by “City of Lies” location manager Greg “Rocky” Brooks just weeks before the case was set to go to trial, according to a notice filed with the court on Monday. 

“The settlement agreement conditions dismissal of this matter on the satisfactory completion of specified terms that are not to be performed within 45 days of the date of the settlement,” the filing reads. 

“A request for dismissal will be filed no later than 1/5/2023.”

Terms of the deal were not specified, and if Depp does not comply, the case will be reopened.

Brooks’ filed the lawsuit in July 2018, claiming Depp flew into a fit of rage while drunk and punched him twice on the left side of his rib cage in front of the crew while on set of the Los Angeles film. In the movie, Depp plays a retired LAPD detective investigating the deaths of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. 

Johnny Depp settled a lawsuit stemming from an alleged assault on set of “City of Lies” in 2017. Depp was pictured in 2020
(Matt Dunham)

JOHNNY DEPP APPEARS TO ADDRESS AMBER HEARD DEFAMATION TRIAL IN SONGS ON NEW JEFF BECK ALBUM

A witness list identifies a familiar cast of characters — Depp, his sister Christi Debrowski, his bodyguard Sean Bett, Waldman and business manager Ed White — all of whom testified at the Amber Heard defamation trial in Fairfax, Virginia, last month.

The altercation with Brooks occurred in April 2017 after Depp was told the crew had to stop filming a scene by 11 p.m. due to permit restrictions. Brooks, as location manager, was tasked with ensuring production shut down at the appropriate time.

The complaint alleges that Depp went ballistic and berated Brooks, screaming in his face, “Who the f–k are you? You have no right to tell me what to do!”

Brooks said he calmly tried to explain the permit issue but to no avail, according to the filing. 

“I don’t give a f–k who you are, and you can’t tell me what to do!” Depp allegedly railed before striking the location manager. 

The “Black Mass” actor allegedly told Brooks he’d give him $100,000 if he hit him in the face, according to the suit. Brooks refused and Depp’s security guard allegedly pulled the actor away. 

Brooks said the movie was severely over budget and the atmosphere on set was “toxic” and strained.

Johnny Depp and Camille Vasquez embrace in the courtroom May 17, 2022.

Johnny Depp and Camille Vasquez embrace in the courtroom May 17, 2022.
(Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)

The Monday following the alleged battery, Brooks said he was terminated after he declined to sign a document stating he wouldn’t sue the production company. He also accused Depp of blackballing him from the industry.

Depp’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, who acquired her own fan base following the Heard trial, was listed as his lawyer, in addition to her colleague Ben Chew.

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During a deposition, Depp admitted he chastised Brooks for allegedly shouting at an elderly homeless woman who got in his way on the shoot outside the Barclays Hotel in Los Angeles but denied ever hitting him. 

“His words to her were with great anger and bitterness and — you know, there was a lot of poison in it.,” Depp said of Brooks. “I don’t tolerate injustice.” 

Brooks admitted that later that night he and Depp “bro-hugged it out,” then the actor posed for a selfie with him. The location manager posted the picture of the pair smiling to his Facebook page and only took it down after filing the suit, he said in a deposition.

Brooks was asking for an unspecified sum in damages in the personal injury suit that also names the film’s producer, Miriam Segal, director Brad Furman, Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil and Good Film Productions. Brooks alleges assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and other claims.

Actress Amber Heard, right, and her sister Whitney Heard, second left, depart the Fairfax County Courthouse on June 1, 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia. The jury in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case awarded Depp $10.35 million in damages

Actress Amber Heard, right, and her sister Whitney Heard, second left, depart the Fairfax County Courthouse on June 1, 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia. The jury in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case awarded Depp $10.35 million in damages
(Rod Lamkey/Consolidated News Pictures)

Depp was awarded $10.35 million in damages after a jury declared Heard defamed Depp on all counts following a six-week trial in Virginia amid allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault. Heard lost the defamation case, but was awarded $2 million in her countersuit as jurors found that Depp defamed her through his attorney.

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The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star initially sought a $50 million payout over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote that didn’t specifically name him, but discussed her experiences with domestic abuse at the hands of a former partner. Heard counter sued for $100 million in damages. 

In a unique twist, Heard’s legal team filed for a mistrial on Friday alleging that the wrong juror was seated on the jury throughout the trial. 

His attorney, Ben Chew, revealed that the two men are father and son. The middle-aged son was seated as Juror No. 15. 

Chew argued that these were not “new facts,” as Bredehoft contended, but a discrepancy her team should have noticed at the outset when they received detailed information on the jurors. 

“Ms Heard waived her right to challenge the accuracy of the information listed in the jury panel by failing to raise this objection contemporaneously,” Chew wrote in a motion filed Monday. 

Fox News’ Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.



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