First Johnny Depp was sailing the high seas, but now the actor is heading underground – literally.
The superstar wants to connect his five neighboring cul-de-sac homes in the Hollywood Hills by building an underground tunnel system.
Why? To keep away from paparazzi and tour buses, of course, U.S. Weekly reported.
But the Oscar-nominated actor found a slight foil in his master plan. The owner of the sixth house in the cul-de-sac is refusing to sell his home, despite repeated offers by Depp.
While he continues to try, the actor has been facing financial troubles after filing a lawsuit against his former business managers for financial misconduct.
The suit accuses Management Group and attorneys Joel and Robert Mandel of collecting more than $28 million in contingency fees without any written agreement. It alleges that Depp incurred more than $5.6 million in penalties for failing to file or pay his taxes on time and loaning more than $10 million to third parties, actions which it claims were taken without Depp’s consent.
But a countersuit filed by his ex-managers on January 31 states the allegations are false. It alleges the actor’s financial woes are of his own making, claiming that he lived “an ultra-extravagant lifestyle,” spending more than $75 million to purchase, renovate and furnish 14 residences including a 45-acre chateau in the South of France, islands in the Bahamas and several homes in Hollywood.
The countersuit also alleges Depp owes the Management Group $4.2 million of a $5 million loan made in 2012, and that after failed attempts to connect with the actor, “TMG in October 2016 started non-judicial foreclosure proceedings against certain of Depp’s properties.”
The actor recently sold one of his five Art Deco penthouses at the landmark Eastern Columbia building last fall for $2.54 million. Penthouse Five, which sold, is said to be connected to the other properties by secret passageways, according to Curbed.
The properties were originally listed as a collection with a total asking price of $12.7 million.
Kevin Dees and Nick Segal of Partners Trust have the listing for the remaining condos. [US Weekly] — Subrina Hudson