Amber Heard, an actress, told jurors Thursday that Johnny Depp had sexually assaulted and threatened her with a liquor container in an alcohol-fueled rage.
The March 2015 incident, in Australia, during which Depp was filming the fifth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean”, is highly disputed. It has been the focal point of the Fairfax, Virginia civil trial that lasted four weeks.
Depp cut the tip of his middle finger off and wrote vulgar messages in blood on the walls. Depp claims he did not assault her and that Heard threw vodka bottles at him. Heard claimed she had taken sleeping pills and was not awake when Depp severed his finger.
Heard struggled to keep her cool as she described the incident to jurors. Depp was angry when she arrived in Australia in March 2015, about a month after they had married.
He accused her of having slept with her co-stars, including Eddie Redmayne and Billy Bob Thornton, who she had just shot “The Danish Girl”. She denied the accusations.
Heard testified that the fight escalated to the point that he threw her in a pingpong table and broke it. He took her nightgown off and Heard claimed she was naked as he assaulted her.
“I couldn’t get up. She said that she thought he was punching her. “I could feel the pressure on my pubic bones.”
She initially thought he was attacking her with her fist. But, she later realized that she was being attacked with a bottle and that many bottles had been broken during the fight.
“I looked around and saw so many broken glass. She said, “Please God, don’t break my heart.”
Heard described strange details about the attack’s aftermath, including how she used a shredded burgundy nightgown to wrap a steak that was left out. Depp tried to leave vulgar messages for Heard, but he was trying to write them on the wall.
Many of the testimony was reminiscent of a civil suit Depp brought against a British newspaper. In 2020, a judge in the UK ruled against Depp and found that Heard had been repeatedly assaulted by Depp. Heard’s Thursday sexual assault claims were not made public in the U.K. trial.
Depp sued Heard in Virginia over an opinion she published in The Washington Post, in which she called herself “a public figure representing domestic violence.” His lawyers claim that he was defamed in the 2018 article, even though it did not mention his name.
Heard earlier in Thursday’s testimony testified that Depp was surrounded by a group of enablers to protect him from the negative consequences of his drug- and alcohol abuse.
She described an incident that was already being investigated, which involved a mai 2014 flight from Boston to Los Angeles. Heard claims that Depp was jealous of Franco’s movie that featured a kissing scene.
She said, “He hated, hated James Franco.”
She said that Depp began to scold her as soon as he stepped into the private aircraft. Depp followed her, and she got up to walk away. Heard said that he once slapped her. She later claimed that he kicked her and that not one board member intervened for her.
She said, “I felt this boot in the back of my head.” “I fell to my knees. No one said anything. Nobody did anything. It was possible to hear a pin drop. I just remember feeling so embarrassed.”
Depp, who was earlier called to testify in the trial, described the event differently. He said that he didn’t drink excessively before boarding the plane and that Heard started an argument. He pursued him until he felt forced to hide in a toilet.
Jurors were able to hear Heard’s recording of Depp howling and babble incoherently during the incident. The jury also saw a text Depp sent to his friend Paul Bettany shortly following the incident in which he said he was going to “properly end the booze thing” as the flight became “ugly.” Bettany also texted him saying, “I’m admittedly to —– in my head to spray all my fury at the one that I love for no reason.”
Heard testified that Depp assaulted her on numerous occasions, often while he was drunk or high on drugs. Depp has repeatedly denied hitting her. However, Heard’s lawyers claim that his denials are not credible because he cannot remember what he did when he blacks out.
Depp stated that Heard exaggerates his drinking and that he can tolerate his alcohol well. Depp’s family, friends and employees have supported his assertions.
Heard stated that this is part of the problem. She claimed that Depp has a team that takes care of him when he’s sick and allows him to continue his business, without having to acknowledge the consequences of his drinking.
