Amber Heard-Johnny Depp Trial

Heard trial: Johnny Depp says ex-wife Amber Heard left him broken as he finishes testifying

Actor Johnny Depp reacts as he testifies in the courtroom during the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., April 25, 2022. Steve Helber/Pool via REUTERS

On Monday, Johnny Depp ended his defamation testimony against ex-wife Amber Heard, testifying that he was a victim of domestic violence during their relationship and was "broken" by the time their marriage fell apart.

Depp's fourth day on the witness stand in a Virginia court concluded with his attorneys playing audio from a conversation following Heard's 2016 restraining order.

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star stated that he accepted Heard's request to meet in a San Francisco hotel room because he believed she would retract her claim that he abused her.

Depp suggested on the recording that the couple write a joint letter declaring their love for one another and how the media had created an upheaval around them. The idea was made to reach a "peaceful settlement," Depp explained.

Heard, who is well known for her performance in "Aquaman," refused the idea and pushed him to go public with his abuse claim. "Tell the world, Johnny," she instructed. "Tell them I, Johnny Depp - a man - I'm a victim of domestic violence."

According to Depp, he said, "Yes, I am."

The 58-year-old star is seeking $50 million from Heard, 36. Heard countersued for $100 million, alleging that Depp slandered her by referring to her as a liar.

Depp threatened to cut himself with a knife in another audio clip from the San Francisco conference.

"That's psychologically, emotionally where I was," he explained. "Finally, I was shattered... I reasoned that the only solution is here; take my blood; that is all I have left."

The case is predicated on a December 2018 Washington Post opinion piece. Although the report did not refer to Depp by name, his attorney told jurors that it was apparent Heard was referring to him. The pair divorced in 2017.

Earlier on Monday, Heard's attorneys presented press pieces they claimed demonstrated Depp's actions had already hurt his lucrative film career years before Heard's essay.

"Why are all of Johnny Depp's movies bombing at the box office?" read one headline. and "Where did it all go wrong for Johnny Depp?" The pieces published before Heard's report asserted that Depp drank vodka for breakfast and was frequently late to film shoots.

Depp stated that as a long-standing Hollywood celebrity, he was the target of "hit pieces."

When the pair disagreed, the actor stated that Heard would slap or shove him and once flung a vodka bottle at his hand, severing the top of his right middle finger.

Heard denied throwing a bottle and severing Depp's finger in a separate judicial case in the United Kingdom. She claimed she flung objects to get away from him as he attacked her, and once she punched him out of concern, he would shove her sister down the stairwell.

Depp, who was once one of Hollywood's top stars, claimed he never struck Heard, or any other woman and that Heard's allegations cost him "everything." The production of a new "Pirates" picture has been halted, and Depp has been withdrawn from the "Fantastic Beasts" film franchise, a "Harry Potter" spinoff.

Heard's counsel has contended that she spoke the truth and that her viewpoint was protected as free speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Heard's attorneys claimed during opening statements that Depp abused her physically and sexually while abusing narcotics and alcohol.

The trial, which is likely to go until late May, is being presided over by a state court judge in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Less than two years ago, Depp lost a libel action against The Sun, a British tabloid, for labeling him a "wife-beater." A London High Court judge concluded that he assaulted Heard on multiple occasions.

According to Depp's attorneys, the United States complaint was brought in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside the nation's capital, because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper is not a party to the suit.

Publish : 2022-04-26 12:05:00

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