Johnny Depp settles the ‘City of Lies’ assault case. Image Source: The Independent 

Johnny Depp settles the ‘City of Lies’ assault case with Gregory Brooks. 

According to reports, actor Johnny Depp has settled an assault-related case that was all set to go into civil trial on July 25th in Los Angeles. Camille Vasquez was once again representing Johnny Depp and he was on the witness list as well, which means he would have had to take a stand once again, but not anymore.

The court documents that have been obtained by Entertainment Tonight state that the actor has settled with location manager Gregory Brooks, who had worked on Johnny Depp’s crime-drama movie ‘City of Lies' and had claimed that the actor had attacked him during production. The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, but it has been established that the case is no longer proceeding to trial.

Gregory Brooks, the location manager, alleged in his 2018 lawsuit that he and Johnny Depp got into a physical altercation in 2017 as a result of Gregory Brooks telling Johnny Depp that they were running out of time for the shoot and had asked an LAPD officer for protection. He said that the Pirates actor had verbally abused him and physically assaulted him by striking him twice in the ribs and saying that he had no right to tell him what to do. The complaint also asserts that Gregory received physical harm and mental anguish as a result of Johnny Depp's $100,000 offer to strike him in the face.

Johnny Depp in 'City of Lies'. Image Source: The Independent

Gregory in his lawsuit mentioned that Johnny Depp’s bodyguards had to physically remove him from the scene and that he reeked of alcohol. But Johnny Depp mentioned that the alleged attack on the location manager was in self-defense and defense of others, and he claimed in response to Gregory Brooks’ lawsuit that Johnny Depp was provoked and Gregory Brooks made him feel unsafe.

Gregory Brooks was asserting damages for alleged assault and battery, intentional infliction of mental distress, carelessness, a hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and retaliation. Brad Furman, the director, of Good Film Productions, and Johnny Depp's producing firm, Infinitum Nihil, were all listed as defendants.

According to the reports, Judge Holly J. Fujie has consented to delay the current trial until Jan. 5, 2020, since both sides have settled. The Judge stated that the dismissal of this case is subject to the acceptable fulfillment of certain provisions that are not to be fulfilled within 45 days of the date of the settlement and added that a dismissal request will be submitted no later than January 5, 2023. The date of Dismissal After Settlement is February 16, 2023. Brooks will have to submit an explanation of why the lawsuit shouldn't be dismissed if a formal dismissal is not submitted before February 9, 2023. These timelines provide ample time for the parties to formulate and complete the proposed settlement.

The complaint did not explicitly state what Johnny Depp must do to uphold his half of the bargain, but the case will be dropped if he does. Gregory Brooks' attorney Arbella Azizian mentioned in a document that was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that a settlement had been reached but provided no other details.

Johnny Depp's settlement with Gregory Brooks comes just before the case was to go on trial. Image Source: LA Times 

The settlement of the alleged assault case against Johnny Depp comes two months after Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s six-week-long defamation trial battle at Fairfax County Court, Virginia, where the jury believed that ex-wife Amber Heard defamed Johnny Depp after she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post in 2018 in which she described herself as a domestic violence survivor. Even though she did not name Johnny Depp in the op-ed, the public, media, and critics believed that it was the actor since she had obtained a restraining order against the actor in 2016 and the actor's reputation in the industry was tarnished and he did loose a couple of major projects. Johnny Depp has maintained his testimony by saying that he had never hit Amber Heard or any woman in his life. 

Amber Heard has filed a motion to dismiss the verdict stating that she was not given a fair trial along with pointing out that one of the jurors who served on the jury duty was never summoned to be there. Johnny Depp's team has responded by saying that Amber Heard's motion that has been filed is based on pure speculation and requested the judge in their filing that the actress' request should be denied.