Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard: What to know before trial resumes May 16
Johnny Depp is battling his ex-wife, Amber Heard, after suing her for $50 million over an op-ed published in 2018 by The Washington Post, in which Heard said that she had been the victim of domestic abuse.
While Depp was not named in the article, his lawyers argued that it was clear it was about him, subsequently sullying his reputation and career. Lawyers for Heard, who is counter suing for $100 million, have argued that the op-ed was a matter of public interest. The trial, which kicked off on April 11 in Fairfax, Virginia, is set to resume on May 16.
From accusations of drug use, heavy drinking, to multiple forms of violence, we have gotten quite a look at the gritty reality of this Hollywood marriage. Read on for some of the biggest revelations from the high-profile trial so far.
Flirtations on the set
While under oath, Heard revealed that her and Depp's relationship started with flirtations on the set of the movie "The Rum Diary" and kissing while on a press tour. At the time, they were both in relationships with other people. Depp would go on to part ways with his girlfriend at the time, Vanessa Paradis, in 2012.
Terrible text messages
Lawyers for Heard questioned Depp in his defamation case, showing jurors graphic text messages in which Depp referred to a "monster" inside him that he had to keep in check.
Heard's attorneys presented emails and text messages that Depp sent to Heard, friends, family and associates, which were often filled with expletives and vulgar descriptions.
Depp said Heard used the word monster to describe when she thought he was drunk or using drugs, though he said her perception was not always accurate. In many texts, Depp called Heard names, and said he wanted her dead.
Depp said he was "not proud of any of the language he used in anger."
In other messages, Depp talked about drinking and drug use.
Jurors also were shown a video, filmed by Heard, that showed the actor smashing and kicking kitchen cabinets at his home in West Hollywood.
Drinking and drug use by both
Two celebrities who have been tied to the Depp and Heard trial are actor Paul Bettany and rock musician Marilyn Manson. Depp agreed with the statement that Bettany was a good friend that he had done drugs with, and acknowledged that he did "cocaine together maybe a couple of times" with Marilyn Manson.
Witnesses for Depp implied that Heard drank too much, noting her love of wine. She is also alleged to have taken MDMA and magic mushrooms at various points.
Punching, trashing closet
Depp's bodyguard Travis McGivern testified that he saw Heard punch Depp in the face after an incident where they were both "volatile" and where Depp was "giving as good as he got."
According to McGivern, Depp trashed Heard's closet, Heard threw a can of Red Bull and a purse at Depp, and then she finally punched him in the face, resulting in a "nice little shiner." At that point, McGivern removed Depp from the situation for his safety.
Accusations of sexual assault
Early in the trial, Heard's lawyers made an explosive accusation that Depp, while drunk and on the drug ecstasy in 2015, sexually assaulted the "Aquaman" star with a liquor bottle. Depp's lawyers responded by questioning why Heard never reported the incident at the time or prior to the trial beginning.
Mutual abuse
Depp and Amber Heard reportedly engaged in mutual abuse, as claimed by their ex-marriage counsellor.
According to Variety, Dr Laurel Anderson weighed in on the former couple's abusive relationship history in a testimony that was recorded earlier on February 21 and played in court for the defamation case.
In her deposition, Anderson detailed the marriage counselling she provided the couple with back in 2015.
When asked if Depp abused Heard, Anderson replied: "Yes, you're right. He had been well controlled, I think, for almost, I don't know, 20, 30 years."
She continued: "Both were victims of abuse in their homes, but I thought he had been well controlled for decades. And then with Ms. Heard he was triggered, and they engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse."
Anderson also claimed that Heard "sometimes initiated the fights in order to keep him with her because abandonment was her worst nightmare."
The counsellor also recalled Heard telling her, "If [Depp] were going to leave her to deescalate the fight, she would strike him to keep him there because she would rather be in a fight than have him leave."
The defecation incident
One of the more disgusting revelations from the trial is that Heard once left feces (Johnny says it was human, she says it was from their dogs) in his bed. She claimed it was a prank gone wrong, but he described it as "so bizarre and so grotesque."
Early abuse
Although Depp and Heard married in 2015, their relationship officially began in 2012 and, according to Heard, there was physical and sexual violence from early on. She testified that Depp sexually assualted her in 2013 after getting into a jealous rage when he believed that another woman was flirting with her while they were staying in a trailer park out in the Calfornia desert.
Costly allegations
Depp's talent manager Jack Whigham, said in the defamation trial that Disney's movie chief Sean Bailey and "Pirates of the Caribbean" producer Jerry Bruckheimer verbally sealed a deal in around 2016 to pay Depp $22.5 million for the sixth movie in the series.
But Depp never got to see those millions. The sixth "Pirates" movie was never filmed, and Depp never got to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
The deal was lined up before the op-ed from Heard, describing herself as a victim of domestic violence, led Disney to abandon the project.
The severed finger
One of Depp's fingers was severed while the couple was in Australia in 2015, but the question is who was responsible.
Heard claims Depp did it to himself, and Depp claims she severed it when she threw a vodka bottle at him. This incident was one of the many dark moments between them.
The makeup mystery
One of Heard's lawyers mentioned that the actress regularly used a particular brand of makeup to cover up her bruises from Depp. Subsequently, the brand released a TikTok implying that she was lying because that product wasn't made at the time.
Mental health issues
Depp's legal team hired a psychologist to evaluate Heard's mental health. Some mental health experts were shocked that a professional felt comfortable after only 12 hours of time to diagnose the actress with a series of serious mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.
A psychologist for Heard's team testified that she did have a mental health disorder but not the ones identified by Depp's legal team. Instead, Dawn Hughes stated that Amber actually suffers from PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, due to a "high degree of serious violence perpetrated by Mr. Depp."
'Nothing less than everything'
Depp said Heard's allegations cost him "nothing less than everything." A new "Pirates" movie was never filmed, and Depp was dropped from the "Fantastic Beasts" film franchise, a "Harry Potter" spinoff.
"When the allegations were made, were rapidly circling the globe, telling people I was a drunken, cocaine-fueled menace who beat women - suddenly in my 50s - it's over," he said.
"I lost then," he added. "No matter the outcome of this trial, I will carry this for the rest of my days."
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