A witness for Amber Heard took to the stand to testify during the ongoing defamation lawsuit.
And she claims Depp told her he severed his own finger.
Scroll on to find out more…
Now, we all know Johnny Depp has been through a lot these past couple of years…
The Kentucky-born actor, who has been renowned in Hollywood since the 1990s, has been embroiled in a highly publicized domestic abuse scandal with his ex-girlfriend, Amber Heard, for the last 5 years.
At first, this coupling seemed to be at the start of a promising relationship.
After meeting on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011, the actor started dating Texan actress and model, Amber Heard, shortly after calling it quits with his long-term partner, Vanessa Paradis.
They announced their engagement in 2014…
And, not ones to waste any time, they hastily tied the knot just one year later in February 2015.
However, it was here when things started to go a little ship-shaped.
Their honeymoon period was rather short-lived as, just months after their marriage, Depp reportedly suffered a hand injury as a result of “smashing bottles and windows” during a heated argument with his wife.
For the next year, various reports of abuse between the pair continued to surface…
So it came as no shock when Heard filed for divorce in March 2016, just fifteen months after the couple had initially exchanged their “I do”s.
At first, the divorce seemed unsuspicious…
Many news outlets reported that Heard had cited “irreconcilable differences” while filing the divorce petition.
But, only a few months into their separation…
Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, claiming that he had previously assaulted her.
It was a big allegation to make…
So people were confused when Heard retracted her allegations just one day before the hearing was due to be held.
But this didn’t stop the world from turning against Depp.
Heard had alleged that the actor had hit her on several occasions, and even provided video footage of him flinging a glass of wine across the room in a fit of rage.
And, in 2018, the actress penned an article for The Washington Post where she opened up about her experience with domestic abuse and violence.
Though she didn’t explicitly name Depp in her op-ed, she did allude to the time period when, “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”
There was an outpour of support for Heard…
Who was even made the American Civil Liberties Union’s “Ambassador for Women’s Issues.”
And, despite profusely denying all the allegations against him…
Depp found his career taking a hit as a result of the ongoing scandal.
Fewer and fewer directors were hiring Depp for roles…
And his appearance in J.K Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, was heavily criticized.
And, in 2018, he was dropped from his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
In a career-shattering announcement just 4 days after Heard’s damning article, Disney announced that the actor would no longer be a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Though they didn’t directly cite Heard’s abuse allegations…
It was widely assumed that Disney, who has earned over $4.5 billion at the box office from the Pirates franchise, was trying to distance themselves from the actor and the scandal surrounding him.
But then, there was a sudden change in events.
Depp filed a $50-million defamation case against Heard and presented evidence that he was the one on the receiving end of the abuse, not the other way around.
Shockingly, the actor alleged that he was the victim all along.
Depp’s defamation lawsuit read: “The op-ed [Heard’s article] depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.”
The lawsuit also stated that all of Heard’s claims were “categorically and demonstrably false”…
And listed down incidents of Heard’s alleged abuse since the start of their marriage, including punching and kicking, as well as staging her attacks.
The allegations are difficult to read.
“She hit, punched, and kicked me. She also repeatedly and frequently threw objects into my body and head, including heavy bottles, soda cans, burning candles, television remote controls, and paint thinner cans, which severely injured me.” His lawsuit read.
And, to tarnish the actress’ reputation and credibility even further…
Audio obtained by the Daily Mail was released that heard her admitting to attacking Depp.
As per the audio clip, she could also be heard taunting him…
“You are such a baby. Grow the f*** up, Johnny. You poke an animal enough, it is eventually, it doesn’t matter how friendly it is, it’s not cool,” Heard can be heard saying.
The case was grueling…
Depp then went to court for his libel case against The Sun newspaper – whom he is suing over a 2018 article in which he was described as a “wife-beater.”
The pair were in court as part of the 3-week long trial.
While in court, both parties played pretty dirty, revealing compromising photographs of each other which have blown everything out of the water, yet again. And of course with the evidence came more allegations.
But things didn’t go Depp’s way…
And he lost the case.
Of course, this massive loss was terrible for the actor’s name…
But he isn’t giving up his fight.
Depp and his legal team were determined to prove that the pictures Heard shared in the case were forged…
To make it look like he was repeatedly abusing her, when in fact, according to Depp it was the other way around.
As per Page Six, lawyers working on the case claim that Heard altered photos making her appear to have 2 black eyes…
Alleging she was attacked by him in 2015.
Depp’s lawyer, Benjamin Chew claimed: “Ms. Heard’s counsel has repeatedly used these phony photographs at deposition.”
He also shared that he believes the LA Police Department “disavowed the photographs” that were previously given to the court and “did not depict what they saw.”
Chew revealed that the LAPD “found no injury upon Ms. Heard and no disruption to the penthouses” upon inspection…
“Ms. Heard and her friends then fabricated photos that she used to obtain an ex parte TRO [temporary restraining order] and a $7 million divorce settlement which Ms. Heard falsely testified in London she gave to the ACLU and, more scandalously, to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; sick children with cancer,” he added.
Chew concluded that someone “doctored those photographs.”
“So, Ms. Heard or someone on her behalf doctored those photographs three years later. When that came up in her testimony in London, Ms. Heard falsely denied it. In short, Your Honour, without forensic imaging Mr Neumeister cannot properly assess or verify Ms. Heard’s data,” Chew added.
Since Chew exposed Heard’s alleged false claims, the court has granted Depp and his lawyers access to her phone records…
They will also be analyzed by Brian Neumeister, who is a tech expert.
And, we’ve seen some huge celebrity names in the defamation case between the two actors.
There are many more who have been dragged into the defamation case.
Paul Bettany will be a witness for Depp.
And, according to Cinemablend, Heard’s legal team will use Bettany’s texts with Depp against them, displaying violent language targeted at Heard.
Heard’s exhibit list includes names we’re all familiar with…
There will be text messages and email conversations between Heard, Jason Momoa, and James Wan, as per the news outlet.
There are also emails logged from author JK Rowling and guitarist Jack White.
Who else is involved?
Ellen Barkin, an American actress, will be on Heard’s witness list, and she has spoken up about Heard’s allegations in the past.
“Amber Heard was never enough of a victim,” she wrote.
“And we never will be… Unless we’re dead,” she continued.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation, claiming that his reputation has been tarnished because of the things she has said during their battle.
And Heard is countersuing him, which is why so many big names have been dragged into the case, as well.
Now, since the case began, a lot of people have taken to the stand…
And on April 19th, it was Depp’s turn.
Depp took to the stand at Fairfax County courthouse where he described Heard’s claims as “heinous and disturbing,” LADbible reports.
He said that her allegations were “criminal acts against me that were not based in any species of truth.”
Depp went on to deny striking Heard and any woman in his life.
“Never did I myself reach the point of striking Miss Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life,” he told the court. “Since I knew there was no truth to it whatsoever, I felt it my responsibility to stand up, not only for myself in that instance, but stand up for my children.”
Depp then further detailed the effect that the allegations had on his children.
“I thought it was diabolical that my children would have to go to school and have their friends or people in the school approach them with the infamous People Magazine cover with Miss Heard with a dark bruise on her face,” he said.
Describing himself as a “very private person,” the actor said that for him “to come up here and sit before you all and spill the truth is quite exposing, and it’s unfortunate that it’s not only exposing for myself, it’s exposing for my family, it’s exposing for Miss Heard, it never had to go in this direction.”
He also added that his goal is “the truth” and that he isn’t embarrassed because “I know I’m doing the right thing.”
Depp has since returned to the stand where he has revealed more about his time spent with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
There have been admissions about his severed finger, audio recordings of fights, and text messages revealing horrific desires.
After thirteen days, Depp’s legal team rested their case on Tuesday, May 3rd.
However, in a shocking turn of events, Heard’s legal team tried to have the case dismissed.
On May 3rd, Heard’s legal team argued for the case to be dismissed.
According to the Independent, the dismissal was argued on the grounds that Depp’s legal team had not proven malice and that headline for The Washington Post op-ed was not written by Heard.
But, despite the attempts for dismissal, it was denied.
The outlet reports that Judge Penney Azcarate denied Heard’s attempt to dismiss the case striking 2 motions while keeping one under advisement.
Subsequently, the trial continued this week, and on Wednesday, May 4th, it was Heard’s time to take to the stand.
Heard took to the stand to give detail about the alleged abuse where she recalled a number of alleged incidents of violence…
Heard opened up about an alleged fight between her and Depp that took place during their relationship, involving her younger sister.
She explained that the fight started in their Los Angeles penthouse when Heard accused Depp of cheating with one of his old flames.
“I immediately, like, confronted him about it,” she said. “I was… I didn’t care in that moment if he did kill me.”
The actress explained that Depp was infuriated by her allegation, after which a heated argument ensued.
This led to Heard leaving the apartment and walking over to the penthouse next door, where her younger sister, Whitney, was staying at the time.
However, Heard claims Depp followed her and a fight broke out. Whitney allegedly positioned herself between the pair, and at this point, Heard hit Depp because she was afraid her sister would fall down the stairs.
“I just remember this brief struggle we had. Whitney, my sister, all of a sudden put herself in between,” Heard said. “And I swung at him.
“In all my relationship to date with Johnny, I hadn’t landed a blow… for the first time I hit him like actually hit him square in the face.
“But he didn’t push my sister down the stairs.
“Johnny kind of looked stunned, and then laughed at me. And then he hit me again.”
Heard has previously said she had never “landed anything” on Depp despite the frequent fights.
However, voice recordings shown in court suggest otherwise.
In the recording, which was played earlier in the trial, she said: “I didn’t punch you, by the way… I was hitting you, I wasn’t punching you.
“You didn’t get punched. You got hit… but I did not punch you. I did not f*****g deck you. I f*****g was hitting you. I don’t know what the actual motion of my hand was, but you’re fine. I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you.
“I’m not sitting here bitching about it, am I? That’s the difference between me and you, you’re a f*****g baby. You are such a baby, grow the f**k up Johnny.”
After hearing about incidents Heard’s younger sister was involved in…
She took to the stand.
As she did so, Depp appeared to look her straight in the eyes.
Whitney Henriquez took to the stand alleging that she saw Depp becoming more controlling over the time of his and Heard’s relationship, as per the Huffington Post.
She alleged that he tried controlling the jobs she took, the clothes she wore, and the people she hung out with.
“At first, it would be, like, light jokes. You know, if she left the house wearing something, he’d be like, ‘Oh, you’re going to wear that?’” Heard’s sister said.
“Suddenly, they have the same stylist, and he had been essentially controlling what she wore to events and things like that.
“So she went from being able to wear whatever the hell she wanted, and then suddenly she’s wearing anything that her stylist ― his stylist ― wanted her to wear.
“And her style over time just got more and more conservative,” she continued.
Whitney continued by saying that he didn’t “understand” why Heard needed to work, and then eventually, even took problem with her overtime, asking her to move out, even though previously he was generous in letting her live there saying he’d “take care of everyone.”
She even testified that Depp once “grabbed Amber by the hair with one hand and was whacking her repeatedly in the face with the other.”
One thing people noticed, though, was that Depp had no problem looking Whitney in the eyes as she took to the stand.
“It appears Depp is looking Heard’s sister straight in the eyes as she testifies,” somebody said on Twitter, displaying a photograph as he looks on at her.
This comes as Depp vowed to Heard in an audio recording that she will “never” see his eyes again.
Many people have said they think Heard’s sister is scared of Heard.
“You can literally see that Amber Heard’s sister wants to expose Amber so badly but she won’t because she knows how dangerous Amber truly is… sad. Johnny was quite literally the victim & it’s obvious in the text message exchanges with her, & Depp. #deppvsheardtrial,” one user said, attaching an image of their text messages between each other to the thread.
Other’s felt that she was trying to “protect” her sister, but wasn’t telling the truth under oath.
“Amber heards sister is literally saying the same shit that amber did just in a different attitude,” one said. “Isn’t it odd that Whitney (Amber Heard’s Sister) is saying very similar words while testifying etc?” another wrote.
She also testified on Wednesday that Depp hit her as well as her sister.
Referring to the incident on the stairs, she explained: “I’m at the top of the stairs with my back to the stairs, and that’s when Johnny runs up the stairs. I’m facing Amber, he comes up behind me, strikes me in the back. I hear Amber shout, ‘Don’t hit my f****ing sister!’ She smacks him, lands one. At that point, that’s when [Depp’s security guard] Travis [McGivern] runs up the stairs, after Amber landed one.”
“But by that time,” she added, “Johnny had already grabbed Amber by the hair with one hand and was whacking her repeatedly in the face with the other as I was standing there. Travis then pulls them apart.”
After this, Henriquez said she was given an “NDA on my kitchen table. … My understanding is it’s a contract to keep things private. To keep your mouth shut, essentially. I was asked to sign one. I don’t believe I signed it. I left sometime after.”
Actress Ellen Barkin then took to the stand.
And as she has done so, she told the Jury that Depp was a “controlling, jealous boyfriend.”
Barkin took to the stand to share that after meeting Depp in 1990, their platonic relationship turned into a s*xual one, as per LADbible.
“He’s just a jealous man, controlling ‘where are you going? Who are you going with? What did you do last night?’ There was a scratch on my back once that got him very very angry because he insisted that it came from me having s*x with a person that wasn’t him,” Barkin said on the stand.
Barkin then said that it was very common for Depp to become angry when he was jealous.
She also said that he was “always drinking or smoking a joint.”
And then she said during a fight, he threw a wine bottle in her direction but had not hit her himself, or with any other object.
“Mr. Depp threw a wine bottle across the hotel room in one instance, in Las Vegas while shooting Fear and Loathing. A fight was going on, between Johnny Depp and his friends in the room, the assistant,” she said, as per the Daily Mail.
After Barkin and Depp broke up, the actress said that she never heard from him again.
And now, Raquel ‘Rocky’ Pennington has taken to the stand in favor of Amber Heard.
in her testimony, she claimed that Depp severed his own finger during the March 2015 incident in Australia.
Depp revealed prior to her testimony that when he went to the hospital for his injury he said he’d cut his finger in a pair of “large accordion doors” as he “didn’t want to get Heard in trouble.”
And it seems as though Pennington claims Depp told her a similar story.
When asked if Depp told her he’d injured his finger himself, she said “yes”, adding: “I don’t remember how he said he cut the tip of his finger off.”
Although she “doesn’t remember” what he said happened to it.
She also claimed she saw the aftermath of the assault on Heard and alleged Heard wasn’t wearing makeup.
The trial continues…