Taking to the stand in his defamation lawsuit, Johnny Depp has made claims of the abuse he allegedly endured while with his ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp has now finished testifying, and witnesses are now being called to the stand.
One moment in the trial has shown body cam footage of a 911 call that marked the end of Depp’s relationship with Amber Heard.
The defamation lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard began last Monday, April 11.
Scroll on for 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.
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.
But, it’s not the first time that some of the names have been a part of the escalating battle.
Two of the celebrities involved, have in fact been accused of being tangled up in an affair with Heard in the past…
While she was with Depp.
The celebrities called to testify, who were accused of affairs with the Aquaman actress, are James Franco and Elon Musk.
Both celebrity figures will be testifying for Amber Heard.
But, they’re not the only huge Hollywood names in the lawsuit.
There are many more who have been dragged into the defamation case, too.
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 where he discussed standing up for his children and denied striking Heard in any way.
And people rallied in support of the actor.
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 anyway, 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 affect 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 revealed more about his time spent with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Including the incident with his severed finger.
According to TooFab, the incident occurred in their Australian home, where Depp had been hiding in his locked bathroom while Heard ranted violently.
According to Depp, he finally came out of the bathroom, went downstairs, and had his first shot of vodka after staying sober for several months.
“I was a mess, I was a wreck, I was shaking… I just didn’t understand why, why all this was happening,” he explained.
And then when she came down, she reportedly said: “Oh you’re drinking again, ‘the monster’.”
“She walked up to me, she reached and grabbed the bottle of vodka… and then just kind of stood back and hurled it at me.
“And it just went right past my head and smashed behind me. So I stood up and walked behind the bar, and there was a larger bottle of vodka, the kind with the handle, you know?” he continued explaining.
When he drank from that bottle, she grabbed it.
“And she then grabbed that bottle, and threw that at me,” he said.
“And it made contact and shattered everywhere,” Depp continued.
“I honestly didn’t feel the pain at first, at all. I felt no pain whatsoever,” he explained. “What I felt was heat… I felt heat, and as if something were dripping down my hand.”
“And then I looked down and realized that the tip of my finger had been severed. I was looking directly at my bones sticking out. And the… meaty portion of the inside of your finger,” the actor continued.
“Blood was just pouring out. And at that point I think that I went into some sort of… I don’t know what a nervous breakdown feels like, but that’s probably the closest I’ve ever been.
“Nothing made sense. And I knew in my mind and in my heart… this is not life. This is not life. No one should have to go through this,” he said.
And, her reaction reportedly had no sympathy behind it: “White noise… yelling, just a high-pitched, constant attack of insults. Just jumbled words to me in a very high frequency… I was in shock,” Depp explained of her behavior.
Depp lied to the doctor who paid a visit once he had texted them in the bathroom because he didn’t want Heard’s name in the “mix.”
But, this traumatic incident wasn’t the only thing that Heard had allegedly put Depp through that night. She also reportedly stubbed a cigarette out on his cheek, which, there were photographs of while he was in ER. And so, that night, Depp slept at his friend’s house, and requested Heard go back to LA because he was “just done.”
Depp also admitted to writing notes on the wall of their home with his bloodied finger of the “lies” she had told him.
And, he’s come out with more emotional memories, too.
Telling the court that he is not some “maniac” who needs to “get high all the time.”
This comment came as Heard painted a picture of Depp as a drug abuser.
Depp went as far back as being an eleven-year-old taking his mother’s nerve pills while he was testifying in court.
And what he had to say was truly heartbreaking, expressing that he took the pills because he wanted to “escape feeling so much”, as per VT.
“It’s a pretty young age to do that, I can’t say that I’m proud of admitting to that, but I have to say that I knew not what else to do,” he said, talking about his childhood.
He also said that he’s not “some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time,” in reference to Heard’s elaborate description of his alleged drug problem.
And in explaining why he was addicted to the Opioid Roxicodone, he said that it was a result of a back injury that occurred during the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean.
“I was bit by the snake,” he recalled. “And before you know it, that monkey is on your back to stay,” he continued.
The actor also set his record straight by saying Heard “embellished” his substance abuse.
“The characterization of my ‘substance abuse’ that’s been delivered by Ms. Heard is grossly embellished and, I’m sorry to say, but a lot of it is just plainly false,” he told the court.
“I think it was an easy target for her to hit because once you’ve trusted somebody for a certain amount of years and you’ve told them all the secrets of your life, that information then of course can be used against you, especially if it’s taken to a point that is teetering on impossible,” he continued.
Including a video Heard secretly filmed of Depp where he rampages through his kitchen.
The video first surfaced in 2016, around the time Depp had lost his mom, with whom he had reportedly suffered abuse.
In the video, you hear Depp shouting “Motherf**ker” while taking his aggression out on kitchen cupboards.
As he walked around in distress, Heard asked him “what happened” and recalled how “sweet” he was in the morning. She also said that they “weren’t even fighting” that morning, claiming that she woke up and “said sorry” for Depp to respond “did something happen to you this morning? I don’t think so.”
He then proceeded to pour himself a glass of wine for her to ask if he had drunk the whole bottle, while visibly trying to hide her phone so that he couldn’t see she was recording him.
As he notices the phone, he asks “oh, you’ve got this thing going?” and picks it up to throw it.
When Heard picks up the phone, she laughs and appears to smirk, too. And then the video footage ends. Depp, who watched the video in court, seemed noticeably distressed as Rottenborn, Heard’s lawyer, said they could watch the video again, a motion that was dismissed.
Depp said that the tape was “illegally recorded.”
When asked by Heard’s lawyer if he agreed that he was violent in the clip, Depp said that he was having “a bad time.”
“Clearly I was having a bad time,” Depp began. “I don’t know what it was in regards to completely at this point since I don’t know the date but being illegally recorded by your chosen other is quite fitting with the rest of the photographs and tape recording she made,” he continued.
“I thought what was most interesting was that she tried to hide it from me and then she laughed and smiled at the end,” he said.
“So, yes, I did assault a couple of cabinets, but I did not touch Ms. Heard, as you can see,” he said.
Rottenborn then talks of his southern gentlemanly image and says that the “standards of a southern gentleman were not” in his mind “in this particular moment.”
And Depp says: “I don’t know about anybody else but I have had experiences in my life where one does stray from complete control over their emotions at times.
“And that is a very normal primal thing to do. I did not try to intimidate Ms. Heard.
“If she was intimidated, why was she filming? If she was scared to death, why wouldn’t she leave?” he finished.
Many people online have backed Depp, saying Heard taunted him.
“Amber Heard denied Johnny Depp his meds while he was going through withdrawal during detox. Broke JD’s finger with a vodka bottle & called him a baby for complaining about her hitting him. She still taunted him that no one will believe he’s the victim because he’s a man,” wrote one Twitter user.
Twitter users aren’t the only ones who are appearing to debunk Heard’s claims of abuse, though.
Because a police officer, working for LAPD, took to the stand yesterday, and she claimed there were no physical injuries on Amber Heard when she responded to the couple’s fight.
And people had a lot to say about it…
One person took to Twitter to write: “Today’s recap: 1. Dr. Shannon Curry testified that Amber suffers from borderline personality disorder & histrionic personality disorder. 2. Police officer Melissa Saenz observed no damage or injuries which debunked Amber’s claims of the May 2016 incident. 3. #AmberHeardIsALiar“
Another person said that the police officer is a victim of Heard’s lies…
“You know, Amber Heard implying that this Police Officer did not do their job correctly could have an effect on her career and life. Yet another victim of Amber Heard’s lies,” they wrote.
And another said they found the witness’s statements interesting…
“A police officer: I did not identify Amber Heard as a victim a psychologist: she doesn’t show signs of PTSD hmm hmmm interesting,” they shared.
Melissa Saenz spoke out about an incident she had responded to in the couple’s penthouse apartment in 2016.
“I did not identify her as a victim of domestic violence,” she said to Elaine Bredehoft, Heard’s lawyer, as per LADbible.
Saenz was asked if she had seen any physical bruising on Heard that correlated with Heard’s claims that Depp had struck her with a phone before the officer had paid a visit, as per the news outlet.
But, Saenz said that she hadn’t seen anything to back Heard’s claims.
And that’s when Heard’s lawyer then asked: “What is your perception of the redness on the cheek and the eyelid and above the eyebrow?”
And Saenz answered saying that it was a result of her crying.
“It’s consistent with her crying – she’s fair skin, her face is flushed,” she said.
The officer had also said she had seen no signs of damage while at the scene.
And that Heard was not identified as a domestic violence victim at that time.
The officer wasn’t the only person on the stand to debunk her claims, either.
Shannon Curry, a forensic psychologist spoke out about Amber Heard and rejected the idea she had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder while with Depp.
The psychologist diagnosed Heard with a borderline personality disorder.
“These aren’t fact, but her scores were consistent with other people who had obtained these scores who have been shown through many, many studies to have these very specific traits,” she said while on the stand.
And now, we’ve also seen bodycam footage from a 911 call…
That marked the end of Depp and Heard’s relationship.
On the tenth day of the defamation trial, lawyers focused on the night of May, 21 of 2016…
This was the night the couple had allegedly split up.
According to TooFab, 2 anonymous 911 calls were made to LAPD about a domestic dispute at the couple’s penthouse apartment.
Three officers have testified so far this week…
And all 3 of the officers said that Depp was not at the scene. They also said that there were no signs of physical abuse, either. The officers under oath included; Officers Melissa Saenz, Tyler Hadden, and William Gatlin.
Officer Gatlin recorded the moment that he attended the incident with his bodycam footage, unlike the other officers who had attended the scene before him…
In the footage, Gatlin talks to the man who has been identified as Josh Drew, the husband of Heard’s best friend, Raquel Pennington.
“We need to talk to your wife to make sure…” the officer began, as per the news outlet.
But, Drew had interrupted and said: “Oh it’s not my wife.”
And although Drew seemed reluctant to let them in, claiming they’d already spoken to officers about the issue, the officers at the residence insisted they come in.
Once the officers at the scene located Amber on the sofa, they asked “And Johnny?” for Drew to respond “definitely not here.”
A woman at the apartment then said that he “left probably like 2 hours ago.”
And with that, the officers left.
Although the officers were pressed by Heard’s counsel as to why they didn’t investigate the issue further…
All three officers said that she would not cooperate with them, with officer Saenz even saying that the actress had told her she wouldn’t give “any further information,” as per the outlet.
The trial continues…