As a reminder, the Hollywood trial between the two actors started with an opinion piece written by Heard in the American newspaper The Washington Post. In it, she wrote that she had been a victim of domestic violence. The name of her ex-partner Johnny Depp did not appear in it, but the piece caused him a lot of damage, according to the actor. For example, he lost film roles and public opinion turned against him. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for defamation. Heard tried to get the case dropped, but couldn’t. She decided to sue for $100 million because Depp called her a liar. Both charges are being heard during this trial.
The trial between Depp and Heard started Monday with the testimony of Richard Moore, an orthopedic surgeon. He was asked to provide expertise on the incident that took place in Australia in 2015.
During that fight, Depp lost the tip of his finger. How that could have happened is currently unclear. According to Depp, Heard threw a bottle of vodka at him causing him to lose the tip of the finger. Heard claims that Depp lost the piece of his finger when he smashed a phone. She stated earlier during the trial that she did not see the top come off herself.
In preparation for the trial, Dr. Moore analyzed the medical records compiled during Depp’s treatment. Moore testified Monday that the wound to Depp’s finger was not caused by the throwing of a bottle. According to him, the medical reports do not match Depp’s testimony. No shards of glass were found by the medical staff and the wound, he says, does not correspond to what one would expect from such an incident.
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According to Doctor Moore, Depp’s wound does not match his testimony. — © AP
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Later in the day, psychiatrist David Spiegel and entertainment consultant Kathryn Arnold also appeared in court in Fairfax. Spiegel came to provide expertise on Depp’s behavior. According to him, that corresponds to someone who has a substance use disorder and could pose a risk for committing intimate partner violence.
According to the psychiatrist, Depp’s thinking speed is also reduced and his attention span and memory are affected by excessive drug use. According to him, Depp also shows “narcissistic traits”. Spiegel had to admit he didn’t personally investigate Depp, but insisted his opinion was valuable as an expert.
Arnold said that the opinion piece, by Amber Heard, has done little to no damage to the actor’s career. She says the lawsuits Depp launched have had more impact than the op-ed, which most went undetected until he took legal action. For example, Disney, which is behind the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, hadn’t even heard of the opinion piece until the lawsuit. They would have questioned his role in a future sixth film long before that play.
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–Dr. Spiegel was asked to analyze Depp’s behavior. — © REUTERS
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On Monday, it was also thought that Depp would once again sit on the witness stand. Heard’s team had put Depp on the witness list for this week because they wanted to ask him further questions. But eventually they won’t.
Depp could possibly speak later this week if his own lawyers called him to testify. On Wednesday, model Kate Moss, an ex-girlfriend of Johnny Depp, would testify via video. During her testimony, Heard referred to an alleged incident in which Depp pushed Moss down a flight of stairs. According to the New York Post, Depp’s team would call Moss as a witness. The final pleadings are scheduled for Friday.
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