The process between the former actor couple was halted for a week by a double-booked judge. On Monday, Heard’s team was able to continue their interrogation, and later in the day, Depp’s lawyer took over. They put Heard back on the roster on Tuesday.
ALSO READ. Amber Heard Responds to Bed Feud Charge, Admits She Never Donated Money From Divorce to Charity
About the lost fingertip in Australia:
In Fairfax they started the infamous fight the couple had in Australia, in which Depp lost the tip of his finger. It is not clear exactly how he sustained the wound. According to Depp’s earlier statement, that happened when Heard threw a glass bottle at him. Heard said on Tuesday that she “didn’t see the top come off”, but described that he was injured when he smashed a phone in a fit of rage.
Depp’s lawyer continued by reading from an earlier statement. For example, the actress is said to have stated that Depp pushed her against a counter at some point. Heard would have felt pressure on her pubic bone and thought she was being beaten. But she also testified that she believed Depp penetrated her with a broken bottle. “That’s what I remembered. That was my fear.”
About the honeymoon and the diary:
A photo taken during their honeymoon in Asia was shown in court. “Depp is injured in the face in this photo, is that correct?” the lawyer asked. “That is not true. He’s not injured. This photo is photoshopped,” Heard said. The actress stated that there are no photos of her with any injuries, as she was not injured on her face during that trip.
The lawyer then showed pieces from a diary in which Depp and Heard wrote love letters to each other. There are also apologies in the book here and there. “Because we fought so much, it was important to me to keep as much peace as possible. I think in any relationship it’s important to apologize in order to move forward,” Heard said. “I tried everything: apologies, therapists… But I couldn’t change my relationship.”
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About trip to the Bahamas:
During a trip to the Bahamas, the two allegedly argued because Depp dozed off and spilled wine on Heard several times. According to the actress, Depp would later have sexually assaulted her in the bathroom. She would have thrown something at his head to get away from him. The building’s concierge, according to Depp’s lawyer, testified earlier during the trial that Heard allegedly begged her wife to go home.
The courtroom was then shown a sound clip in which Depp and Heard talk about spilling the wine. Heard allegedly yelled at him and his children, which upset Depp’s son Jack. “Johnny often used other people to support him during arguments,” Heard said. The sexual abuse was not discussed in the conversation, the lawyer noted. “That wasn’t what the conversation was about. If I had accepted that, we would have argued again.”
About the many text messages:
A slew of text messages from Heard to Depp were shown in the courtroom. In it, Heard repeatedly asked him to come home, stop, pick up the phone and reply to her messages. He didn’t. The actor’s lawyer explained that Depp needed some distance from Heard. “This is what you did when Depp wanted to distance himself. You were constantly messaging him,” she said. Heard responded: “That’s not how I would describe it. I wanted to stop him (drugs, red.) to use. I did everything to break the cycle. I recognized the pattern in the meantime.”
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Over actor James Franco:
Heard’s attorney refers to the restraining order Heard filed for so she could change her locks. “That’s why you felt comfortable enough to invite James Franco?” the lawyer said. “I don’t know when James came by,” Heard said. Video images of the elevator in her building were shown on which she can be seen together with Franco.
About the Washington Post op-ed:
The opinion piece on domestic violence in the Washington Post, which Heard wrote, is why Depp went to court. He is suing her for slander. In that piece, Depp is not mentioned by name.
“Different parts in this are about Johnny Depp?”, the lawyer asked. “It’s about what happened to me afterwards (after their marriage, ed.) has happened.” The lawyer further elaborated on parts of the article in which Heard described that she would be blacklisted and lost her film roles because she spoke out about domestic violence. “Is this a reference to your allegations of domestic violence against Depp?” the lawyer asked. Heard clarified that she faced those issues after she filed for her restraining order.
In the article, Heard makes an analogy between the Titanic and a powerful man. Again the lawyer asked if she was referring to Depp. “I was talking about a bigger problem than Johnny. About how a system supports powerful men who do serious things and keeps them afloat. I wasn’t referring to Johnny, but to a culture where #MeToo was talked about.”
Advocate: “So this article isn’t about Johnny Depp?”Heard: “Nee.”Advocate: “In May 2016, you openly accuse him of domestic violence?” Heard: “Yes, in relation to my application for a restraining order.” Advocate: “In May 2016 you walk into court with a bruise on your face to request a restraining order?” Heard: “Yes.”Advocate: “And you were photographed with that bruise?” Heard: “I was walking outside and there were photographers, yes.” Advocate: “From then on you became a public representative of domestic violence in our society?”Heard: “Yeah, from that point on.”
The lawyer continued through the sentence I had the rare vantage point of seeing how institutions protect men accused of abuse to pick up. Is this about Depp, she asked. “Not just about him, but he’s in between,” Heard said. “He is the man who accused you of domestic violence two years earlier?” the lawyer then asked. “Yes,” said Heard. “But I wrote it in the context where many men were openly accused.” According to the actress, it was therefore about a generic reference, “not just Johnny”.
Later in the day, the lawyer briefly returned to the opinion piece. She asked Heard if it was true that she had filed a case against Depp for defamation two months before the op-ed. At first, Heard said she didn’t know about that. After being presented with some documents, she clarified that her lawyer had sent a letter to Depp’s lawyers. That’s because Depp had called her a liar again in the media. “So that’s two months before your op-ed was published and six months before Depp brought this case against you?” Heard confirmed. “So you fired the first shot?” the lawyer asked. “I don’t agree with that,” Heard said.
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On slander against Heard:
Depp filed a complaint against Heard for defamation over her op-ed about domestic violence in the Washington Post (see above). Heard decided to file a counter-charge. This is partly due to statements by Adam Waldman, Depp’s former lawyer. In the courtroom in Fairfax, Depp’s lawyer read several quotes from newspaper articles that Heard cited as evidence of defamation, and asked, “Have you lost jobs because of Waldman’s statements?” “It’s hard to point to roles you’re not offered,” Heard said. And what about Aquaman 2, the upcoming movie? “They have terminated my contract. I fought to stay in the film, but I don’t know how much will be left in the final cut.”
On violence against Depp:
You hit Depp several times during your relationship?, the lawyer asked Heard. “There were several times when I had to use my body to defend myself. If that meant I could leave, if that meant the difference between a broken nose and a sore face,” she said. “I may have been the first to strike, but I wasn’t the first to attack. I had to defend myself in the best way.” The lawyer asked if she couldn’t check herself? “I tried to defend myself. But that was only after years of not defending myself.”
Sound clips were played in the courtroom in which Heard and Depp talk about an incident in which the actress beat her former husband. “I wanted to hit you. Sorry. It was a response. I’m sorry,” Heard says in the clip. She then clarified in court that it was a reaction because she blocked a door and wanted to block his way.
The lawyer then said that it is not the first time Heard has heard that fragment. Even when the former couple wanted to divorce, she was told the fragment. A video was then played in the courtroom in which Heard can be seen in 2016 and has to respond to the same audio fragment. “You laugh as you hear the clip. You even roll your eyes at one point. Is it funny to hit your husband?” the lawyer asked. Heard then said: “I was reacting to what was happening around me. There was an army of lawyers in front of me laughing.”
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Amber Heard’s lawyer takes the floor again.
Looking over each other (not) in the eye:
Heard’s lawyer responds to questions the actress has received from team Depp over the past two days. She started with the very first question that Depp’s lawyer asked on Monday. Why Depp doesn’t look her in the eye. “Because he is guilty. He knows he’s lying. Why else can’t he look at me. I survived that man, I’m here and I’m able to look at him,” Heard said.
After that first question, things went from bad to worse for Heard’s lawyer. Whenever she tried to ask a question, Team Depp responded with “Objection”. As a result, in almost all cases she was not allowed to complete her question and the two parties entered into a discussion with the judge. After half an hour, the lawyer gave up.
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Testimony from friend of Heard:
Io Tillet Wright, a close friend of Amber Heard, was next on the witness stand. He did that through a video. The lawyers asked him if he ever witnessed Depp attacking Heard. “No,” he said. He also made a list of the substances that Depp used: cocaine, marijuana, liquor, XTC, magic mushrooms, wine, … “And probably other things”, he said. “They brought out a very ugly side of him. A masochistic and cruel side of him. If he took psychedelics or drank alcohol, he also became paranoid.”
Did Amber Heard also use drugs? “She is against cocaine. She doesn’t have a narcotic of choice. Amber regularly drinks red wine in the evenings, except when she was training for a part.”
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