‘Yellowstone’ Star Recruits Johnny Depp’s Attorney

Yellowstone star Q’orianka Kilcher is in the midst of a tense legal showdown, over charges that she defrauded the federal government. According to TMZ, the actress has now recruited Johnny Depp’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, to represent her in court. Vasquez made headlines earlier this summer when she helped Depp win his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.

On May 27, Kilcher was taken into custody by authorities in Los Angeles, California. She was charged with workers’ compensation fraud, stemming from a benefits grant she received in the amount of $96,838. The works comp grant was due to neck and shoulder injuries the actress suffered while filming of Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Kilcher had claimed that the injuries were so severe that she was unable to work. Authorities claim that an investigation found the actress had been filming scenes for Yellowstone during the time period in which she was receiving benefits. Kilcher pled not guilty to the charges.

Recently, an insider close to the situation spoke with PEOPLE, explaining, “She was shocked, to say the least, about the charges and is looking forward to getting the truth out there. As a result of a car accident she was involved in on the set of Dora, she is now 10% disabled for the rest of her life. The onset injury was a long road to recovery going through intense physical and mental suffering.”

The source later added, “This is an incredibly stressful time for her but she hopes that this case can in some way shed light on the difficulty that actors, especially minority women, across the industry experience when injured on set, since at the end of the day, their bodies are their source of work. Without being able to use them to their fullest extent, especially for physically taxing roles like those afforded to women of indigenous descent in Hollywood, many actors are put in a position where they can no longer support themselves and their families.”

“She’s been spending the last few weeks surrounded by friends and family who have been supporting her during this incredibly difficult time,” the insider continued. “She’s also been focusing on her passion project, the feature film Yesteryear in which she stars, produced and co-wrote. The project highlights mental health during the COVID lockdowns.” Finally, they added, “Q’orianka is an activist at heart and hopes to be able to share her story soon for others who have suffered similar circumstances.” Yellowstone Season 5 is set to debut Nov. 13, and Kilcher will be back in her role as tribal lawyer Angela Blue Thunder.