Amber Heard
The Latest Nude Photo Leak Threatens to Expose More Celebs
Allegedly hacked and stolen nude photos of Miley Cyrus, Suki Waterhouse and Rosario Dawson just popped up on a website called Celebrity Jihad, and it’s anyone’s guess which celebs will be the next victims.
The women joined a dubious yet ever growing club — last month nude photos of actresses Amanda Seyfried and Analeigh Tipton, and scantily clad pics of Emma Watson, were posted to the same site.
Seyfried, who recently gave birth to her first child, got Celebrity Jihad to take down the photos after threatening legal action, while Analeigh Tipton teamed up with the police to try to track down the person or people who hacked her photos. Emma Watson also pursued legal action, though it should be noted that her leaked pics were not nude and were reportedly from a wardrobe fitting. As this situation continues to develop, it’s unclear if more celebs will be targeted and whether anyone will be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, Mischa Barton has been facing her own nude controversy which PROOF has been covering. Jon Zacharias, an ex-boyfriend of Barton, allegedly recorded her in intimate moments positions without her knowledge and consent and is shopping a sex tape. Allegedly offers have been made for $500,000. Another ex boyfriend, Adam Shaw, is also involved in the matter in that he has copies of the images though he alleges he tried to stop Zacharias from releasing them. A California court shut all of that down and granted Barton a restraining order against both men, prohibiting them from selling the video and anyone from seeking to purchase the footage. For more information on this incident, click here.
Ultimately, when it comes to celebs who’ve had private photos and videos leaked, it’s almost easier to count who HASN’T had their personal images hacked and displayed for the world to see. With technology today and the skills (and total lack of conscience) on behalf of hackers, celebs need to work harder than ever to protect their privacy. Fact is, if nude photo of a star exists there is a good chance it will go public, despite their lack of consent.
Perhaps the biggest celeb nude photo dump to date was the infamous “The Fappening” incident in 2014, in which hackers posted stolen nude pics on the website 4chan of celebs including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Amber Heard, Ariana Grande, Gabrielle Union, Kim Kardashian, Kirsten Dunst and Kaley Cuoco, among many others.
Lawrence spoke out passionately about the breach, saying,” “It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting.” She added, “The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. That’s why these Web sites are responsible.”
Gabrielle Union also didn’t take the violation lightly, reportedly going to the FBI to look for justice. It looks like she and the other victims got it — hackers Ryan Collins, Edward Majerczyk and Andrew Helton were convicted in 2016 of crimes related to the photo thefts.
There are laws that allow celebrities (and regular folks too) to pursue both civil and and criminal penalties against those who film them without consent and release those images into the public domain. The cases are not easy though and it is often difficult to identify who obtained the images and who released them. In what is referred to as revenge porn (more akin to Mischa Barton’s situation) it is sometimes easier to identify the wrongdoer and bring that person or entity to justice but even then the cases are not simple.
We at PROOF agree with Jennifer Lawrence that it is a sexual violation and laws do need to change to protect innocent victims. Yes, innocent. Just because someone who is a celebrity does not mean others can invade the most private parts of her life and reveal them to the outside world without permission. We also applaud the position Mischa Barton’s lawyers took when they argued that attempts by her ex boyfriend was an act of domestic violence.
The more celebs that speak up about these violations and pursue the offenders the greater chance we have in stopping this heinous behavior. Will it go away forever? No. There will always be people who get a thrill from violating the rights of others but if laws continue to be written, penalties enforced and investigation stepped up then we have a chance of reducing it–and that is worth something.
At PROOF there’s nothing we like to do more than to share celebrity news–not malicious gossip. Just real, true celebrity news. Browse the site and see what interests you!
4 High Profile Celebrity Divorces You’ll Want to Read About
Celebrity news is always a hot topic. Love and dating life of celebs hotter. And celeb divorce probably the hottest. That’s because nothing gives us better insight into the personal lives of the rich and famous more than learning what goes on in the family law courtroom and the celeb news about divorce, annulment, custody, property settlement, and paternity just to name a few of the types of cases that fall into the family law arena.
PROOF is taking a look at some recent big (translation: sad) divorce cases and providing insight into these stories that rocked the celebrity news world. And to provide further insight into these divorces and the fact that divorce is more prevalent in Hollywood, especially among two celeb homes, consider these words from therapist Lindsey M.Hoskins, “There are several reasons that celebrity relationships are uniquely challenging. First, celebrities often spend a great deal of time apart from each other due to their busy travel and shooting schedules, making it difficult to prioritize the relationship. Second, a relationship in which both partners are used to being the center of attention presents challenges related to compromise and being able to put the other person’s needs ahead of one’s own. Third, many celebrities are exposed to almost constant opportunities to explore other relationships. Over time, the temptation can be difficult to resist, and infidelity is common in celebrity couples for this reason.”
Drew Barrymore & Will Kopelman
On July 15, 2016, after four years of marriage, wild-child-turned-Earth-mother Drew Barrymore filed for divorce from art consultant husband Will Kopelman. The two confirmed that they were separated in April 2016 but the “Santa Clarita Diet” actress didn’t file the docs until mid summer. The fallen lovebirds have two daughters, Olive and Frankie. The pair issued a joint statement at about their split, it read: “Sadly our family is separating legally, although we do not feel this takes away from us being a family. Divorce might make one feel like a failure, but eventually you start to find grace in the idea that life goes on. Our children are our universe, and we look forward to living the rest of our lives with them as the first priority.”
On a personal note, we’re sad about this one. Will seemed so solid, such a good long term choice for Drew and we really wanted her to live happily ever after with him and her girls. Though the two are not officially divorced, there has been no talk whatsoever of reconciliation. But it’s clear these two are going to handle the divorce and the future running of their family with grace and ease–can’t say that about the rest of the fallen couples on this list.
Amber Heard & Johnny Depp
In a pretty surprising turn of events, Amber Heard filed for divorce from Johnny Depp on May 25, 2016 after a mere 15 months of marriage. Heard cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce petition. Then, all hell broke loose.
What do we mean by that? Well, let’s start with the fact that on May 27, Heard was granted a restraining order against the beloved “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor and also that photos surfaced that appeared to support Heard’s claims of physical abuse at the hands of Depp. To say Hollywood was thrown into a tizzy about this is an understatement. Almost a year later, we at PROOF remain somewhat perplexed that so many in Hollywood seemed to rush to support Depp and, at the same time, alienate Heard.
After months of arguing, legal wrangling, and excoriating public commentary, Heard and Depp finalized their divorce in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2017. The two worked out a settlement that included Depp agreeing to pay Heard $7 million (as well as money towards her legal fees, among other things). Ahh, if only things were that simple though. What seemed like a clean settlement became quite murky due to Heard doing a PSA on domestic violence when part of the divorce agreement mandated that she stay mum on the subject as well as the complex nature of Depp’s payout, which was to go solely to charities. And, can we add, we were impressed by Heard’s choice to forego the big payout and seek to do good out of something not-so-good.
Tobey Maguire & Jennifer Meyer
These two have not officially filed papers yet but they have announced their separation (and McGuire has been photographed out and about. And by out and about we mean kissing other women in public). After nine years of marriage and thirteen years together, Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer told the world they were splitting. They have two children, Ruby, 9, and Otis, 7. The exes, who met in 2003 and were married four years later in Hawaii, issued this joint statement: “After much soul searching and consideration we have made the decision to separate as a couple. As devoted parents, our first priority remains raising our children together with enduring love, respect and friendship.” It’s an encouraging sign that so many Hollywood couples seem to be quite clear on their post-marriage goals regarding their children: protecting them and making sure their lives remain as stable, good, and happy as possible.
While Maguire and Meyer (trying saying that five times fast!) announced their separation last October, as of this writing, it does not appear that divorce documents have been filed. No news may be good news with this couple. Perhaps they are working it out? We surely hope so despite those pics of Maguire.
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
Of course, for last, we saved the the biggest divorce case of the year (maybe the decade) in celebrity news. Here ya go …
In September 2016, Angelina Jolie shocked the world when she filed for divorce from her superstar hubby Brad Pitt, asking for full custody of their six children, Maddox, Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.
The trouble began during the family’s international flight on September 14, 2016 which ended abruptly at Minnesota’s International Falls Airport (trouble likely didn’t begin there but that was the first public report of something amiss in the child rearing category in the Jolie-Pitt family). Reports suggested that a drunk Pitt lunged at 15-year-old Maddox on the flight. In November, Pitt was cleared of abuse allegations after the LA County Department of Children and Family Services investigated. But, while the investigation was pending, Pitt was not allowed to see his children. Once it was resolved, he was granted supervised visits.
Pitt has been on the offensive since that fateful flight, and on Dec. 21, 2016, asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to seal any future court documents pertaining to the exes’ kids and to keep any further custody disputes private. Jolie agreed. And, we are not surprised by that. Though the couple’s breakup opened up a media can of worms they are trying to put a lid back on things and keep their names out of celebrity news’ headlines. In fact, on January 6, 2017, they released a joint statement, in which they made known their intention to hire a private judge to handle the matter. The press release stated: ”The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues.” The statement continued, “The parents are committed to act as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification.”
Though we at PROOF would have liked to have access to legal documents in this matter so we can reduce the amount of gossip and untruths coming out about this family’s breakup, given the situation, the number of children, and the very high profile nature of the parties, we applaud this move by Pitt and Jolie. Nice to see adults acting like adults and in the best interest of their children.
Seeking more celebrity news? Check out other PROOF articles. We cover celebrity news like no one else!
Amber Heard Deposition Troubles, Again
The producers of Amber Heard’s film, London Fields have sued her for breach of contract and tortious interference with a contract. They argue that she failed to fulfill required acting services and failed to promote the movie after director Mathew Cullen claimed that producers released a version Cullen did not approve. Heard has denied the claims and alleged that a nude body double was used in violation of her contract. The case has been rather quiet as it relates to the discovery process (the period in a lawsuit when evidence is gathered documents are produced, questions answered, etc.). The producers believe part of the reason for the failure of the case to move forward is because since March 2017 their lawyers have been trying to depose Heard but so far, the actress has failed to identify a date and show up.
Now it seems the lawyers are no longer going to sit around waiting for an agreed upon date; they’ve asked to the court to order Heard to appear for a deposition and are seeking $70,000 in sanctions for her actions in avoiding being deposed.
Many might recall that this isn’t the first legal matter in which it has been claimed that Heard has attempted to avoid being deposed. And, if the court hearing the London Fields matter wasn’t aware of that prior instance, the producers’ lawyers made sure that it did, detailing in court documents that while Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp were in the process of divorcing, Heard postponed depositions in Los Angeles numerous times and would claim to be out of town when she was really in Los Angeles–allegedly there were paparazzi photos that proved her whereabouts. She went to “extreme, frivolous efforts to avoid being deposed,” say the Lost Field legal team.
Heard’s team believes the motion to order her to appear should never have been filed and that the actress has complied and will continue to comply with her obligations in the case.
Deposition is a key element of discovery and given the nature of the Lost Fields lawsuit, Heard’s deposition is critical, naturally. Unlike criminal cases, in which a defendant need not testify (we’ve all see this on tv!), civil cases do not have that same protection–the 5th Amendment applies only to criminal matters.
Heard isn’t the only celeb who has faced allegations of blowing off a deposition. Last March, PROOF favorite, Justin Bieber claimed he was sick just hours before a scheduled deposition and failed to show up for a scheduled deposition in a lawsuit filed against him by a songwriter. Photographs on social media showed that Bieber was partying hours earlier, and therefore very likely not too sick! Attorneys for the plaintiff in that case had incurred a great deal of expenses as it related to the deposition–they flew in from Nashville, spent money on hotels and had considerable time preparing for the deposition that was not to be (note, they too had waited a long time simply to find a date that Bieber agreed to). Certainly, a judge could have imposed sanctions should plaintiff’s lawyers requested it–avoiding depositions or acting cavalierly about them and/or the legal process is not looked upon favorably by those in a decision making position.
As of this writing, news of Heard’s deposition date has not been released but we will keep you posted. Our bet is she will show up!
Going to Court? Make Sure You’ve Got Your Little Black Dress
Rocking a sophisticated Little Black Dress (LBD) is somewhat of a female rite of passage thanks to Coco Chanel, who is considered to have first introduced women to this wardrobe necessity. Prior to the 1920s, women only when black when in mourning. In 1926 Chanel changed all of that when her LBD graced the pages of Vogue. The magazine called the dress “Chanel’s Ford,” because like the Model T car, it was accessible to all social classes. From that moment on, black clothes and the LBD were in. Done right, the LBD is supremely chic and is an essential item in a woman’s wardrobe. Fashion icons like Princess Diana, Jackie Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn, just to name a few have all sported the perfect LBD throughout the decades, and it’s not going out of style any time soon.
The simplicity and elegance of the LBD makes it a go-to choice for many celebrity situations, especially sticky ones–like going to court. Properly advised celebs, like Nicole Ritchie and Amber Heard know that while the LBD demands respect it also shows that the wearer understands her audience. While maintaining an element of glamour, the LBD-wearing celeb is able to communicate her respect for the law without her lawyer or her ever opening her mouth. Rihanna perfected this look in an LA courthouse when she attended the preliminary hearing in which Chris Brown faced charges of assaulting her. Her LBD was stylish enough for the paparazzi outside the courtroom, but modest enough in front of the judge.
When Celebs Split, Who Gets Custody of the Family Pet?
Divorce is nasty business especially when it comes to division of assets, spousal support and child custody. Another area rife with fighting? Custody of the family pet. The number of divorce cases in which pet custody is an issue is on the rise as is the intensity of the fighting over it. Just as celebs are not immune from bitter child custody battles so too do they face fierce fights over family pets. And because celebrities have the money to hire tough lawyers and can afford protracted litigation often their pet custody battles are among the nastiest.
Legally speaking, most states consider pets property which means courts consider them as they would any asset and not at all akin to a child. Thankfully though this is not always the case and recently we’ve seen judges in various jurisdictions looking at other factors. In fact a New York case moved away from the chattel (legal jargon for property) view of pets and took a more holistic approach, asking what was the best interest of all—not of the pet, per se, but of all involved in the dispute. This is good news for the more than 80 million(yup!) American families that own a pet.
Let’s take a look at some well known celebrity breakups in which custody of the pets was a pivotal issue.
Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas. When these two decided to end their almost twenty year marriage, Stella, their youngest child, was already eighteen years old so custody was no longer an issue (child custody is not legally relevant once a child is over eighteen). However, the couple had three dogs (two were adopted together from an animal rescue group) and Melanie wanted to keep all of them. Word on the street was that their $50 million divorce case was contentious in large part over custody of these pups. Melanie made it clear that she wanted to keep them and many believed she was the better pup parent. There is no official word about how things ended up but my guess is that Melanie got what she wanted. These two seem to still be pretty good friends and are often seen out and about supporting their children at various events. Had Antonio not relented on the dog issue, this would not likely be the case.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. Most of us are probably glad this very messy Hollywood divorce is finally over. I know I am. But what was worked out early and fairly amicably between these two was who got custody of Pistol and Boo, the dogs the couple adopted during their brief marriage (Amber also got custody of their horse, Arrow, but I’m not sure there was much of a fight over that). You might remember hearing about these dogs—they’ve been in the news before. They are the same dogs that Amber and Johnny brought into Australia without declaring them at customs or obtaining the proper paperwork for them. Though Amber pleaded guilty to providing a false immigration document to immigration officials, the pair got away easy. As punishment, Amber and Johnny were allowed to make a public service announcement. Amber apologized for her conduct and praised Australia’s biosecurity laws; Johnny encouraged others to declare everything when they come into Australia. Lucky for them that they got away easy on this one as the dissolution of their marriage was anything but that.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. First let me say I am a big fan of both of these actors but I’m still very pissed that Kristen cheated on Robert (Team Edward!). He just did not deserve that! And with a married guy? I feel as if Kristen is better than that and if she wanted to end things with Robert she could have done so much less painfully and publically. But, she was young and everyone makes mistakes. Maybe that’s why when she and Robert could not initially agree on who should get custody of their newly adopted dogs, Bernie and Bear, she ultimately relented. I’d like to think it was an act of remorse and contrition. And, I bet it was. She certainly didn’t want to cause more pain to her one time love.
Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams. It’s great seeing Mandy Moore happy and starring in the hit television show, This Is Us because we know this young actress has been through a lot. She and Ryan two were working through their divorce settlement after ending their six year marriage when talks apparently stalled over a number of issues, one very big one being who would get custody of their eight pets—six cats and two dogs. Mandy got to keep all of her fur babies but she did seek pet support payments from Ryan. With the success of her new show, doubt she needs it anymore.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Britney is back on top and has been for years now but for a while many of us were worried that she’d never be the Britney Spears whom we first met. We all know well about her emotional breakdown, the shaved head, the breaking of car windows, the run-ins with the law (Click here for more about Britney’s legal battles). When Kevin sought and won custody of their two children there was also an issue of who got the family pets. What’s interesting in this case is that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) got involved and wrote an open letter to Kevin, begging him to take the animals. Whether or not Britney got custody of the pets has never been publicly revealed but it was a very sad, difficult time for her and assuming she was capable of taking care of her dogs, there is no doubt they would have brought her comfort. On the other hand though, the pets would provide the same to the kids with the added benefit of stability. Judging by Britney’s commitment to her children (and her pets) over the past several years, it seems as if all has worked out. But, as a vegan and animal lover myself, I’m not sure PETA really needed to get involved in this one.
Drew Barrymore and Tom Green. Drew Barrymore and comedian Tom Green were married for a short five months. In Tom’s words, the marriage was “a crazy, whirlwind of a time.” Certainly he didn’t make life any calmer when he decided to fight Drew for custody of their yellow lab, Flossie. You might remember it was Flossie’s barking that saved the couple’s lives when their home caught fire in 1998.