Bisexual actress Amber Heard filed a restraining order against her husband, Johnny Depp, on Friday, but she issued a clarification Tuesday via her lawyers about why she did not previously report allegations of domestic abuse by Depp.
"In reality, Amber acted no differently than many victims of domestic violence, who think first of the harm that might come to the abuser, rather than the abuse they have already suffered," Heard's attorneys Samantha F. Spector and Joseph P. Koenig, said in a statement Tuesday, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The actress filed for divorce May 23, reports the Times, after an argument with her husband May 21 that led to officers responding to a call at their shared home. The Los Angeles Police Department said Heard reported the incident at the time as a "verbal dispute only."
"As the result of Amber's decision to decline giving an initial statement to the LAPD, her silence has been used against her by Johnny's team. Amber did not provide a statement to the LAPD in an attempt to protect her privacy and Johnny's career," Heard's lawyers said in a statement. She later offered information to the police, they said.
The statement from Heard's lawyers also said she has "suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny." They wrote that Heard "cannot continue to leave herself open to the vicious false and malicious allegations that have infected the media."
The statement from her legal team appears to address criticism of the actress. In it, her attorneys say her decision to report Depp to authorities is not "motivated by money." Heard is requesting $50,000 in monthly spousal support, reports the Times.
Amber Heard's Lawyers Say She Didn't Report Johnny Depp to "Protect" Him
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