If you’re a celebrity, it’s not generally not a good thing if your finances are in the news. Sure, there’s the occasional story about a record-breaking payday for an actor or athlete, but generally, when the whole world is talking about your bank account, it’s because they can’t fathom how someone who started with so much wound up with so little. For the past few months, rumors that Johnny Depp is broke have been circulating in the tabloids and on social media. It’s almost impossible to imagine Depp being anything other than fabulously wealthy, what with his decades A-list star and essential role in popularizing one of Hollywood’s longest-running franchises, but the rumors of his penury come from a reliable source – namely, court documents in a pair of increasingly ugly lawsuits. Back in February, Depp sued his management group (the imaginatively-titled The Management Group), accusing them of mishandling his funds and failing to alert him that he was on the verge of bankruptcy. TMG counter-sued, alleging that Depp’s public complaints were damaging their brand, and accusing the actor of spending himself into relative poverty. The group cited such lavish expenditures as a $30,000 a month wine budget and Depp’s decision to spend $3 million on a custom ash cannon to fire the remains of his friend Hunter S. Thompson into the atmosphere. Hilariously, Depp corrected that figure in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal – explaining that the cannon actually cost $5 million. But while Depp was occasionally self-deprecating in the interview, he spent much of it going off on the firm that he blames for his dire financial straits. “Why didn’t they drop me as a client if I was so out of control?” Depp told the paper. “I’ve worked very, very hard for a lot of years and trusted a lot of people, some who’ve clearly let me down.” TMG is now firing back, using Depp’s own words against him in a statement issued to USA Today: The firm calls Depp “habitual liar who denies responsibility for his own outrageous conduct and coerces others to lie for him.” “Johnny Depp and his sister were involved in every significant business decision during the 17 years TMG represented him,” the statement said. “Depp now admits to his extravagant spending but blames TMG for not dropping him as a client.” Depp has yet to respond to the comments, and it’s likely that he’ll simply let his lawyers do the talking for him. Whatever the case, this situation seems to be on the verge of getting even more vitriolic.
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Johnny Depp is a "Habitual Liar," Management Firm Claims
