Johnny Depp's Ex Vanessa Paradis Defends Actor in His Defamation Lawsuit Against Amber Heard
Johnny Depp‘s ex Vanessa Paradis has joined Penélope Cruz and Winona Ryder in voicing her support of the actor in his ongoing defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Paradis, 47, has submitted a declaration on behalf of Depp, who sued Heard in 2019 after she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post, in which she characterized herself as a victim of domestic abuse, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Cruz and Ryder have submitted similar declarations.
“I have known Johnny Depp for more than 25 years,” Paradis wrote in the court documents, which were first reported by The Blast. “We’ve been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together. Through all these years I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous, and non-violent person and father.”
“I am aware of the allegations which Amber Heard has publicly accused Johnny of for more than 4 years now,” she continued. “This is nothing like the true Johnny I have known, and from my personal experience of many years, I can say he was never violent or abusive to me.”
Venturelli/Getty; John Phillips/Getty Amber Heard and Johnny Depp
A rep for Heard did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Depp, 56, and Paradis were together for 14 years, from 1999 to 2012.
The French singer — who married Samuel Benchetrit in 2018 — has two kids with Depp: Lily-Rose, 20, and John Christopher, 17.
RELATED: Why Johnny Depp Wants James Franco to Testify in His Defamation Suit Against Amber Heard
Heard and Depp married in 2015. In May 2016, she filed for a domestic violence restraining order against him, accusing him of abusing her. Depp denied the claims, and the former couple settled their divorce out of court in August 2016 for $7 million, which she donated to charity. Both actors signed NDAs barring them from discussing their relationship publicly.
Depp’s lawyers filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard in 2019 over her Dec. 18, 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post titled, “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” In the op-ed, she made no mention of Depp’s name.
Depp sued U.K. tabloid The Sun in 2018 for libel over a story that called the actor a “wife-beater.” The trial is expected to begin on March 23 and last for two weeks, according to Reuters.
