During the defamation case filed by Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, intimate information about their tumultuous relationship, including violence and substance abuse charges, have been made public.
Depp is suing Heard, his ex-wife, for $50 million over an op-ed she penned in the Washington Post in 2018 on her experiences as a domestic abuse survivor. Despite the fact that Heard never names Depp by name, his attorneys believe that allusions to their client (and Heard’s earlier abuse allegations before their 2017 divorce) are obvious and have harmed Depp’s career and image. Heard countersued for $100 million, alleging that Depp and his legal team defamed her by dismissing her claims.
Depp alleged that Heard has punched, kicked, thrown items at him, and severed the tip of his finger amidst their turbulent relationship, while Heard alleged that Depp has hit her, slammed her against walls, pulled out patches of her hair, and sexually assaulted her while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Each legal team issued contrasting comments ahead of this week’s recess. “As Mr. Depp’s counsel correctly predicted in their opening statements last month, Ms. Heard did indeed deliver ‘the performance of her life’ in her direct examination,” a spokesperson for Depp said. “While Ms. Heard’s stories have continued to grow new and convenient details, Mr. Depp’s recollections have remained exactly the same throughout the six painful years since her first allegations were made. His truth — the truth — is the same no matter the environment in which it is has been presented. The upcoming cross examination from Mr. Depp’s team will be most telling, and will certainly highlight the many fallacies Ms. Heard has now attempted to pass off as fact throughout her convoluted testimony.”
A spokesperson for Heard said, “Mr. Depp’s defamation claim is falling apart so rapidly that his counsel are turning from prosecutor to persecutor. If Mr. Depp was truly innocent, why has he repeatedly apologized to Ms. Heard and promised to put the ‘monster away for good’? One of Ms. Heard’s disappointments is Mr. Depp’s inability to distinguish fact from fiction — a malady which appears to have spread to his legal team. That same team is so panicked they are fighting tooth and nail to prevent compelling evidence and photos from being introduced… Mr. Depp’s behavior in this trial has been as pitiful as it was in their marriage. Apparently, they feel they must double-down on their demonstrably losing two-part strategy: distract the jury and demonize the victim.”
Depp has ended his time on the stand after four weeks and two weeks. Heard began her evidence last week and will return to the stand on Monday, May 16, when the trial resumes after a week off. The end of the trial, like the whole of the trial, will be shown live on CourtTV and Law&Crime Network on Friday, May 27.
