Amber Heard’s Domestic Violence Op-Ed Was Timed to ‘Capitalize’ on ‘Aquaman’ Publicity, Email Reveals

thewrap.com:

Amber Heard’s 2018 op-ed on gender-based violence ignited her current legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp, now it’s been revealed the piece was timed to coincide with the release of her film “Aquaman.”Terence Dougherty, general counsel and COO for the ACLU, said in a pre-recorded deposition played Thursday in Depp’s defamation trial against Heard, that the actress worked directly with the individual rights organization on what the op-ed would say, where it would be published and when it would be released.“Placing op-eds about matters such as this is the kind of thing that is the bread and butter for the ACLU,” Dougherty explained in the video played Thursday in a Fairfax, Virginia courtroom.He noted that Heard was asked to share her story because she was an ACLU ambassador working on women’s rights issues, particularly those surrounding gender-based violence, and the group wanted someone with “authentic stories” to speak publicly on the matter.“There were a number of things Amber expressed from her personal story about her having been a survivor of gender-based violence,” said Dougherty in the video recorded on Dec.

2, 2021. He added that ACLU communications staffers wrote the first draft of the op-ed, capturing Heard’s “fire and rage.” The organization informed Heard’s advisors that they skirted around her marriage to Depp, to avoid violating her non-disclosure agreement with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor.

The first draft of the op-ed was reviewed by several ACLU lawyers. Heard’s attorneys also reviewed the piece and removed references to Heard and Depp’s marriage and divorce.Dougherty said the decision to publish the op-ed in the Washington Post was made by the ACLU.