Johnny Depp sued by professor who claims bodyguards injured her at concert
A disabled female medical school professor has sued Johnny Depp, saying that his bodyguards assaulted, injured and humiliated her during a rock concert they all attended.
Photos:
Stories:
The 52-year-old woman accuses the actor of witnessing the actions and doing nothing to stop them. Depp's spokesperson had no immediate comment about the lawsuit, which was filed at a Los Angeles court on Monday, April 16, and obtained by OnTheRedCarpet.com.
The woman, a doctor and assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California's Irvine Medical School, says the alleged violence occurred at a concert for the band Iggy and the Stooges on Dec. 1, 2011 at the Hollywood Palladium Theater, which is also named in the suit. Its reps have not responded.
The woman says she has use a cane when walking long distances and that she, her husband and her friends had VIP tickets to the concert and sat in th! e alloca ted area. She says Depp, his security guards and members of his entourage were there as well.
She says that at one point, she left the area and when she tried to return, one of the actor's guards blocked her pathway and told her to enter from a different entrance. She said he "reluctantly allowed her to pass" after she explained that it was "virtually impossible for her to traverse without her cane."
The woman says she later noticed "Depp and his security detail huddled and speaking to one another" while directing their attention to her, adding that she thinks "Depp was supplying direct supervision and management of his security guards and directing their current and future actions."
She says that one of the guards "suddenly grabbed" her from behind, "bear-hugged her " and restrained her wrists tightly as another security man stood in front of her and tried to take her iPhone from her hands.
She claims the two dragged her to an upper balcony and dropped her on the ground, then "forcefully pried the iPhone" from her hands, "one finger at a time." She says she ran away from them toward her husband and friends. She adds that she "immediately sought to call 911, but could not do so because her cellular handset was forcibly removed from her person."
Finally, the woman alleges that the two security men came back with handcuffs, told her they were off-duty police officers and tried to apprehend her. She said she was handcuffed and that her cries were ignored, including by the actor. She adds that Depp's three security men dragged her across the floor of the theater.
She says they "repeatedly yanked the handcuff chain upwards towards the ceiling, causing severe injuries and trauma" to her wrists, arms and body, adding that as she was dragged, her "pants were removed from her torso and hips, exposing her buttocks to the other Hollywood Palladium Theater patrons."
She says Depp saw the "attack" and did not thing to halt the actions of his guards, who she adds eventually dr! agged he r through the theater and up a flight of stairs in front of other people. She says she "suffered injuries and extreme and outrageous humiliation." Eventually, they removed her handcuffs and theater employees forced her outside, she says.
The woman says she later reported the incident to the police and that her "extensive injuries" that exacerbated pre-existing conditions that have caused her pain, insomnia and numbness in her feet and left her left hand "virtually immobilized." She adds that she has been forced to wear braces on her wrists and that her doctors believe she broke bones.
The woman says that as a result of the incidents, she currently suffers depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares and phobias and that she is now unable to "perform simple everyday tasks," such as cleaning her home, using a computer, cooking, grooming herself or driving. She says she was put on medical leave before the concert and that she is now unable to return to work.
(Copyright 2012 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.)
Comments
Post a Comment