Johnny Depp Claims Self-Defense in Response to Alleged On Set Assault Against Crew Member

Johnny Depp is claiming he was acting in self-defense in response to an alleged altercation that took place on the set of his upcoming movie City of Lies.

Location manager Gregg Brooks accused Depp of punching him on set in a lawsuit filed earlier this year. Depp, who has denied the claim, filed a response on Monday claiming he feared for his safety during the alleged April 2017 incident, according to papers obtained by The Blast.

Brooks asked for damages in his lawsuit, but Depp denies owing Brooks anything since he claims he was “provoked” by Brooks’ “unlawful and wrongful conduct.” Depp claims he feared “for his safety” during the incident. He further explains he “observed” director Brad Furman also “fear for his safety” at the time.

Depp’s attorney further denied Depp punched Brooks in a statement to PEOPLE just hours after filing the response.

“Despite false media reports suggesting otherwise, Johnny Depp never touched the person suing him, as over a dozen witnesses present will attest. In a court filing we have generally denied all claims and we will fight these latest sham allegations,” his attorney said.

Furman responded to reports of the altercation with a statement to Page Six in May, calling the alleged incident “exaggerated” and Depp “a consummate professional, great collaborator and a supporter of other artists.”

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE in July, Brooks claimed the actor became angry when Brooks told him they only had one more shot and allegedly punched him twice in the ribs after screaming, “Who the f— are you? You have no right to tell me what to do.” The location manager claimed Depp continued screaming at him until he was eventually removed from set by his bodyguards.

As a result of the alleged incident, Brooks said in the complaint that he “suffered pain, severe humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, and has been injured in mind and body.”

City of Lies — which took place in Los Angeles after rapper Notorious B.I.G.’s death with Depp playing the detective assigned to the case — was recently pulled from its September release date by the studio.