Yahoo Movies Johnny Depp's ex-bodyguards tell of 'drug use and chaos' in new lawsuit
Johnny Depp’s former bodyguards are suing the actor over unpaid wages and accusing Depp of creating ‘toxic’ working conditions.
According to legal papers seen by Deadline, Eugene Arreola, who is a retired police detective, and Miguel Sanchez have said that they would have to help disguise Depp’s intoxication while in public.
They are also taking aim at Depp’s business partner Edward White, who they are accusing of mismanagement.
“After years of happily working for Johnny Depp and his family, my clients found themselves in unsafe and unacceptable situations once Edward White took the reins,” Arreola and Sanchez’s attorney Tamar Arminak told Deadline.
“As a result of White’s control and mismanagement, Depp owes my clients for significant unpaid wages.”
The suit goes on to say: “Often times Plaintiffs were forced to protect Defendant Depp from himself and his vices while in public.
“An incident at a local nightclub involved Plaintiffs alerting Depp of illegal substances visible on his face and person while preventing onlookers from noticing Depp’s condition.
“As a result of the toxic and dangerous work environment and the constant labor code violations of their employers, Plaintiffs were forced to leave their employment despite the fact that they enjoyed many of the people they worked with and have no ill will toward Johnny Depp.”
The suit also claims that they were ‘asked repeatedly to drive vehicles that contained illegal substances and open containers’ and ‘were asked to monitor unstable individuals in [Depp’s] life and entourage’.
Meanwhile, it’s said that Sanchez was ‘more often than not’ required to be the ‘primary caretaker’ of Depp’s children.
“Worse yet, Sanchez was told to give into every whim of Depp’s children and worried he would lose his job if he did not comply with their demands,” the suit goes on.
It’s the latest in a storm of legal action surrounding the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
He’s set to go to trial in the summer with his former managers The Management Group in a $25 million fraud case, with Depp accusing the firm of mismanaging his $650 million fortune.
The Management Group have countered that it was Depp’s lavish spending which lead to the depletion of his funds.
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