Johnny Depp and Amber Heard square off in public court in Virginia. Week three again brought shocking findings to light.
It’s the dirtiest war of roses between two celebrities in years. And it’s far from over. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have been at odds in court for the past three weeks. In addition to some witnesses, only Depp himself has been on the witness stand, Heard will first be questioned. The process will take a total of six weeks. We have collected the most important statements from the third week of the trial so far.
Johnny Depp leaves the witness stand
Johnny Depp had his last day on the witness stand on Monday. Two things that stood out: Once again, the actor’s cut off fingertip was the subject. He says Amber Heard cut it off when she hit him with a vodka bottle. She, in turn, claims in court documents that Depp self-inflicted the injury. An accusation he vehemently denies. “There’s no way I would cut off my own finger to ruin this wonderful opportunity to start playing guitar,” he said, referring to a tour planned shortly after the incident.
Depp also spoke about his prime role as “Captain Jack Sparrow” in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. His accusation: Amber Heard harmed him with her opinion piece in the Washington Post. In fact, he lost his role in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts after its release. And the planned “Pirates of the Caribbean” films were then put on hold. “Captain Jack Sparrow was a character that I built from the ground up and (…) you put a lot of yourself into the characters,” he said. “And I felt that the characters should have a way out to end the franchise on a very good ending. And I intended to keep going until it was time to quit,” he explained.
Doubts about Amber Heard’s injuries
Also significant were testimonies from some people who cast doubt on Amber Heard’s allegations that she suffered injuries. A police officer said he was not able to identify any physical injuries on Amber Heard.
In his testimony, Tyler Hadden said Heard’s face was flushed and stained with tears. “Just because I see a woman with pink cheeks and pink eyes doesn’t mean anything happened,” said Hadden, who stressed that Heard was very reluctant to speak to officers.
Instead, Johnny Depp’s bodyguard, Malcolm Connolly, testified that he noticed “scratches and swellings” on his boss’s face. The jury was shown a photo of Depp and Heard on their honeymoon on the Orient Express from Bangkok to Singapore. Connolly said he recorded it himself and noticed Depp had a puffiness under his eye. He wryly stated on the witness stand when asked about the cause of the injury: “He ran into a door or a door ran into him.”
The Poo Incident
Johnny Depp’s allegation that Amber Heard defecated on his side of the bed was raised again. Starling Jenkins, Johnny Depp’s longtime chauffeur, testified and said Amber Heard took responsibility for it to him. Heard spoke of a “terrible joke”.
He also said he tracked down Johnny Depp’s cell phone on Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row. Heard told him that she threw it out the window during an argument. The “Skid Row” is known for the staying there homeless and junkies.
divorce and millions
Johnny Depps also took the stand Business manager Edward White, who provided information about Amber Heard’s alleged divorce claims. He has insight into Depp’s finances and explained that Heard first demanded four million from Johnny Depp. However, it should not have stayed that way.
She steadily increased her claim until Depp finally gave her seven million dollars tax-free, plus an additional $500,000 for her lawyers. New information: According to the agreement, Depp is said to have paid for “common liabilities”, i.e. expenses incurred during the marriage. Overall, the divorce is said to have cost Depp $14.25 million, according to White. A staggering sum considering the two were only married for 15 months.
Elon Musk and Amber Heard
One name that came up several times this week was that of tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Shortly after Johnny Depp’s divorce, Amber Heard was in a relationship with the Tesla founder. Heard’s former agent, Christian Carino, testified on the witness stand and said he didn’t take their relationship seriously. Carino recalls a text message he sent to Heard after Musk broke up. “You weren’t in love with him and you’ve told me a thousand times you’re just filling the void,” he wrote to her at the time.
The statement by ACLU Chief Operating Officer Terence Dougherty showed that Musk could become a key figure. The American Civil Liberties Union is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of every citizen of the United States. Following Johnny Depp’s divorce, Amber Heard announced she would donate $3.5 million of the divorce money to the organization. However, Dougherty testified in court that they received only $1.3 million in donations. Elon Musk is said to have transferred $500,000 of this. What happened to the rest of the millions, Dougherty couldn’t say.
Borderline Diagnosis
The statement by legal psychologist Shannon Curry caused a stir. Curry was called to the witness stand by Johnny Depp’s legal team. She had been hired by the actor’s lawyers to prepare an expert opinion on Heard. And her diagnosis had it all: Curry attested Amber Heard a borderline disorder and a histrionic personality disorder. In her estimation, Heard tends towards emotional instability and sudden outbursts of anger, which could also be accompanied by violence.
First she evaluated medical protocols and viewed numerous documents. Curry then met with Amber Heard on two separate days, spending a total of 12 hours with the actress. She explained that individuals with this type of personality disorder are often “dramatic, erratic, and unpredictable” and are obsessed with “an underlying urge not to be abandoned, but also to be the center of attention.”
“If someone is afraid of being abandoned, by their partner or by someone else around them, and they have this disorder, they will make desperate attacks to avoid it,” she said of patients with borderline personality disorder. “And these desperate attempts can be physical aggression, they can be threatening, they can harm themselves, but these are behaviors that are very extreme and very upsetting to the people around them,” Curry explained.
Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and the Private Island
The statement by Johnny Depp’s island manager Tara Roberts matched Curry’s analysis of the fear of loss. She recalled an incident in December 2015. Johnny Depp claims Heard threw a can of mineral spirits at him while on vacation. Roberts said she and another employee were talking when an irate Johnny Depp entered the room. After a few minutes, Amber Heard also came, apologized and asked Depp to come back to her. Depp then went out to his car and wanted to drive away, but Heard blocked his way. The two ended up leaving together, but Roberts was concerned and wanted to make sure they were okay.
So she and the other clerk also drove to the main house, where she heard screams. “Amber screamed and Johnny answered, you could hear what was being said. We stood there for a few minutes. Then Amber was heard telling him he was a failed actor and was going to die a fat lonely old man.” , she said. “Johnny said ‘you hit me with a can (…)’. Johnny came down the stairs, Amber was behind him, she had a bottle in her hand. There was a pause of initial shock, neither Johnny nor Amber knew we were there,” Roberts said.
After further arguments, Depp tried to run away. “She clawed, grabbed his clothes, grabbed his hair like an angry woman – he wanted to leave. He couldn’t drive away in the car because the keys had been removed,” the manager recalled. Depp’s private island in the Bahamas is a key location in their failed relationship. Not only did Depp rehab there, it was also where he and Amber Heard tied the knot in 2015.
Next week we continue in Fairfax, Virginia. Amber Heard will be called to the witness stand herself, possibly as early as Monday.
Sources: “Insider” / “deadline”