Johnny Depp’s legal entanglements grew by one on Tuesday, after two men who say they worked as security for the “Pirates of the Caribbean ” star filed suit against the actor.
In their suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Eugene Arreola and Miguel Sanchez allege that they were denied overtime pay as well as meal and rest periods while providing protection for Depp.
They also allege that they were tasked with responsibilities that bodyguards wouldn’t normally be expected to do, and “were forced to protect Defendant Depp from himself and his vices while in public, becoming caretakers for him.”
According to the suit, Arreola and Sanchez first began providing security for Depp first as employees of the security firm Premier Group International, and came aboard working as in-house security for Depp in April 2016 after Premier’s services were terminated.
While working for Premier, the suit says, Arreola and Sanchez “witnessed Depp become increasingly embroiled in personal turmoil and detached from the reality around him. In early 2016 Plaintiffs began to notice a stark change in Depp and the atmosphere of 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.”
According to the suit, both Arreola and Sanchez weren’t paid overtime and didn’t receive off-duty meal or rest breaks. The suit also says that the pair “found themselves in situations that required more than what a bodyguard would be expected to do. Plaintiffs were constantly used as drivers, driving back and forth at Depp’s or his family’s beckoning. Plaintiffs were asked repeatedly to drive vehicles that contained illegal substances, open containers and minors. Plaintiffs were asked to monitor unstable individuals in Defendant Depp’s life and entourage.”
The suit continues, “Often times Plaintiffs were forced to protect Defendant Depp from himself and his vices while in public, becoming caretakers for him. 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.”
The suit also says that they were “also retaliated against when they asked why they they were not being given appropriate breaks or being paid overtime.”
“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 had no ill will toward Johnny Depp,” the suit continues.
TheWrap has reached out to Depp’s spokesperson for comment on the suit.
The complaint, which alleges multiple labor code violations and wrongful termination, seeks unspecified damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.