Amber Heard mentioned she knew she ought to depart Johnny Depp the primary time he hit her, however she could not carry herself to do it.”I knew I could not simply forgive him, proper, as a result of which means it can occur once more. Like, I’ve seen the well being class movies,” Heard informed the court docket by means of tears as she took the stand in Depp’s libel lawsuit towards her. “I used to be heartbroken.”She walked away after being slapped, however just a few days later Depp got here again with an apology, just a few instances of her favourite wine, and a promise he’d by no means do it once more, Heard testified.”I needed to imagine him, so I selected to,” she mentioned.Depp, 58, is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court docket in Virginia after she wrote a December 2018 op-ed in The Washington Put up describing herself as “a public determine representing home abuse.” The article by no means mentions Depp by identify, however Depp’s attorneys say he was defamed nonetheless as a result of it clearly referred to accusations she made in 2016 throughout their divorce proceedings.Heard took the stand for the primary time Wednesday afternoon within the now four-week trial. She described to jurors how they met filming a film and fell in love.
Amber Heard testifies at Fairfax County Circuit Court docket within the defamation case towards her by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, in Fairfax, Virginia, Could 4, 2022.
Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters
Regardless of their 22-year age distinction, Heard mentioned there was an prompt connection when Depp met along with her as he thought-about her for a task in his movie “The Rum Diary.””I used to be a no-name actor. I used to be 22. He was twice my age. He is this world-famous actor and right here we’re getting alongside about obscure books, previous blues” music, mentioned Heard, now 36.Whereas that they had chemistry throughout filming of the film, she mentioned they did not start relationship till doing a press tour for the movie’s launch in 2011. On the outset, they saved their relationship a secret.”We weren’t doing regular life stuff. … We have been on this bubble of secrecy, and it felt like a heat glow,” she mentioned.She mentioned the primary act of bodily violence got here as she was one in all his tattoos and could not learn it. She laughed when Depp informed her it mentioned “Wino” — an alteration to a tattoo he had made when he’d been relationship actor Winona Ryder.”I simply laughed as a result of I assumed he was joking, and [he] slapped me throughout the face,” Heard mentioned.She mentioned she laughed once more, considering it should be a joke. “I did not know what was happening. I simply stared at him, type of laughing nonetheless, considering he was going to start out laughing too, to inform me it was a joke. However he did not. He mentioned, ‘You assume it is so humorous? You assume it is humorous, b****?’ … And he slapped me once more.”She mentioned she did not know tips on how to react. “I simply stared at him as a result of I did not know what else to do. And he slaps me another time. Laborious.” She mentioned the third slap knocked her off stability.Depp, who has already taken the stand and testified for 4 days, informed jurors a distinct model of the story.”It did not occur,” he mentioned of the alleged assault. “Why would I take such nice offense to somebody making enjoyable of a tattoo on my physique? That allegation by no means made any sense to me.”
Actor Johnny Depp waves as he arrives within the courtroom in Fairfax, Va., on Could 4, 2022.
Elizabeth Frantz / AP
Heard additionally testified about Depp’s use of medication and alcohol. She spoke a few time she and Depp took MDMA on a flight to Russia, explaining that she felt stress to show to him she was not a “lesbian camp counselor,” as he’d referred to as her. In response to Heard, the couple satisfied the flight attendant to additionally take the drug. She later sat with the couple and touched Heard, which allegedly prompted Depp to seize the flight attendant’s wrist and inform her he may break it. The flight attendant then fled to the entrance of the airplane, the place she remained for the remainder of the flight, Heard mentioned.When the couple arrived at their Moscow lodge room, Heard says Depp shoved her and hit her within the face. Heard fled to the toilet, the place she waited some time. When she got here out, Depp’s bodyguard gestured to her nostril and gave her a handkerchief as a result of she was bleeding.”I simply felt actually embarrassed… ashamed,” Heard mentioned in court docket.Heard additionally spoke of a separate incident from July 2013. She mentioned Depp was promoting his yacht to J.Okay. Rowling, so he took his youngsters and Heard to his island for a goodbye to the boat. In the meantime, Depp was “off the wagon once more,” as Heard tells it, however was hiding his ingesting from his youngsters.”There’s simply no off button with Johnny,” Heard informed the courtroom.She mentioned his youngsters began to catch on — at one level the actor jumped off the boat in a weird method that made his daughter panic and cry. Heard mentioned she tried to calm his daughter, however Depp later accused Heard of outing him to his youngsters, which she mentioned she by no means did. Depp then allegedly slammed Heard up towards their bed room wall, holding her by her neck. She testifies that he informed her she was an “embarrassment” and that he may kill her. Afterwards, Heard mentioned she and Depp’s daughter referred to as for a helicopter to take them off the island.Heard’s testimony got here after a psychologist employed by her attorneys testified that Heard suffers from post-traumatic stress dysfunction from a number of acts of abuse, together with sexual violence, inflicted on her by Depp.Depp testified he by no means struck Heard and that he was the abuse sufferer. He mentioned he was punched and struck by her on many events, and that she threw issues at him. He described Heard as having a “want for battle.”Psychologist Daybreak Hughes, in her testimony Tuesday, acknowledged that Heard at occasions perpetrated bodily violence towards Depp, however mentioned it paled compared to violence she suffered, which left her intimidated and fearful for her security.Throughout cross-examination Wednesday, Hughes acknowledged that she wasn’t making factual determinations that Depp assaulted Heard on particular events. However she testified that Heard’s account of her experiences are per accounts of these experiencing home violence.Hughes mentioned the sexual assaults included Heard being compelled by Depp to carry out oral intercourse. On cross-examination, although, Depp’s attorneys famous that, throughout psychological testing carried out as a part of Hughes’ analysis, Heard denied being compelled to carry out oral intercourse.Hughes mentioned Heard initially was framing the encounters as consensual however “offended intercourse.””She wasn’t framing them as bodily drive,” Hughes mentioned.The trial continues to seize public consideration. Greater than 100 individuals have been lined up Wednesday earlier than 7 a.m. — three hours earlier than proceedings started — exterior the courthouse for the 100 seats made obtainable within the courtroom. Most have been Depp supporters and followers.
