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Johnny Depp’s former bodyguards sue for unpaid wages, cite actor’s drug use and chaotic behaviour

Keystone Press via ZUMA Press

Johnny Depp’s legal battles continue to mount as two of the actor’s former bodyguards file a lawsuit against him over unpaid wages and wrongful termination. Their lawsuit also paints a picture of Depp’s increasingly erratic behaviour and alleged drug use, describing a “toxic and dangerous work environment” as well as “unlawful business practices.”

According to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Depp’s bodyguards Eugene Arreola and Miguel Sanchez allege they were “forced to protect [Depp] from himself and his vices in public,” citing noticeable changes in behaviour beginning 2016 when the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor made changes to his management.

The men had previously worked for Depp and his family as private security for years through a third-party security company before becoming part of a new in-house security team managed by Depp’s team.

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“In early 2016 Plaintiffs began to notice a stark change in Depp and the atmosphere on his Hollywood Hills compound. Depp began making sudden and drastic changes to his staff and management team, causing a significant financial crunch for everyone surrounding Depp, except for Depp himself,” the court documents read, alluding to the actor’s ongoing $25 million lawsuit with his former managers over fiscal mismanagement.

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The men allege that once they became part of Depp’s in-house team, they noticed their paycheques were missing “overtime and rest pay” and between 2016 to 2018 neither were given “meal and rest breaks as mandated by law.”

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Although they were hired as security, Arreola and Sanchez claim they were used as nannies and chauffeurs for Depp and his family and “were asked repeatedly to drive vehicles that contained illegal substances” as well as act more like “caretakers” for the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald actor.

The court documents also detail an “incident at a local nightclub [that] involved Plaintiffs alerting Depp of illegal substances visible on his face and person while preventing onlookers from noticing Depp’s condition.”

Despite the lawsuit, the two men claim they have no “ill will” towards Depp and are merely seeking unpaid overtime and wages, meal and rest break compensation as well as attorney fees plus damages.

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