Amber Heard is asking the court to force Johnny Depp to undergo a mental health examination to question his current mental state, but Depp claims she is victim-blaming him.
According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Amber is asking that a mental health professional be allowed to conduct an "Independent Mental Evaluation" or IME on Johnny Depp.
Depp's lawyers have filed documents in the case, arguing it is an intrusion of privacy, and that his current mental state has little bearing on what may or may not have happened years ago between the couple.
"This is a defamation case in which Mr. Depp does not allege that he suffers from any mental disorder or condition. Thus, Mr. Depp's mental condition is not "in controversy" nor does good cause exist under the rule for an IME of Mr. Depp," Depp's lawyers say.
In the documents, Depp's attorney says, "It is preposterous notion that an IME now would shed light on Mr. Depp's mental state at the time of Ms. Heard's abuse hoax back in 2016. Ms. Heard's effort treads a well-worn path of victim blaming using the pretext of mental health.
They continued, "By Ms. Heard's tortured credibility logic, current IME's would also be warranted for all the dozens of eyewitnesses who have attested to the various facets of the hoaxes they witnessed years ago."
Related:
Amber Heard Gets Access To Johnny Depp's 'Mental Health' Medical Records
Johnny Depp Settles Malpractice Lawsuit With Ex-Lawyers
Virginia Press Association Files To Enter Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Case
Johnny Depp Rubs Shoulders With Khloé Kardashian, Morgan Freeman After Amber Heard Setback
Will This 'Endgame' Star Replace Johnny Depp In 'Pirates Of the Caribbean'?
Amber Seeking Info On Drug and Alcohol Abuse
As we reported, Amber is seeking mental health information about Johnny because she believes his drug and alcohol use, along with medications he is taking, contributed to the abusive environment.
Heard says in her legal filing, "mental conditions in combination with his rampant use of alcohol and drugs were inextricably intertwined with the abuse she suffered at his hands."
She continued, "Johnny's relationship with reality oscillates, depending upon his interaction with alcohol and drugs. As Johnny's paranoia, delusions and aggression increased throughout our relationship so has my awareness of his continued substance abuse."
In response to the filings, Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman tells us, "Why does Amber Heard seek a mental health evaluation from a victim who has 32 eyewitness statements, 87 surveillance videos and a multitude of photographs showing beyond any doubt that Ms. Heard is a serially violent abuser who sought to cover and compound her crimes against Mr. Depp with a fraudulent hoax?
Is His Current Mental State Relevant?
The 'Pirates Of The Carribean' star's legal team argues in the case, however, "Mr. Depp's current mental state has no bearing on the truth or falsity of the alleged incidents allegedly occurring years ago."
Also, Depp's team made it clear, if the mental evaluation was done now, it wouldn't necessarily result in information important to when the events actually took place, saying, "A present-day mental evaluation to prove the truth of incidents that allegedly occurred over three and a half years ago would be unavailing because the results of such an IME conducted now would not constitute reliable evidence of Mr. Depp's mental state then."
A Judge Will Decide....
Amber Heard's attorney Roberta Kaplan believes Depp's mental state then and now is highly relevant, saying in a statement, “Mr. Depp’s well-documented history of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as his serious issues with anger and violence, raise legitimate questions about his mental state during the course of his relationship with our client, not to mention his ability to remember and truthfully recount what happened. We hope that Mr. Depp will agree to be examined so that we can get to the truth and our client can put the abuse she experienced and continues to experience as a result of this lawsuit to an end.”
The judge in the Virginia case will decide if the test will be conducted.
