What did Depp testify?

Depp was on the stand for two days in April, and said he was there because of Heard’s “heinous” and “disturbing” allegations of abuse and that he wanted everyone to know the claims were “not based in any species of truth.” Though Depp acknowledged there were arguments between them, he testified, “Never did I, myself, reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.” The actor said Heard seemed like the “perfect partner” for the first year to 18 months of their relationship, but then things started to change. They started having long and winding arguments, Depp said. Although he admitted to alcohol and drug use, he said that Heard has “grossly embellished” his “quote-unquote substance abuse.” Depp told the jury that Heard — who has denied abusing Depp — frequently verbally berated him and would sometimes “strike out” in a physically violent way. The jury saw a photo of Depp with a bruise on his face, which he said his security guard took after Heard hit him. Another photo showed scratches on his face that he said happened during another confrontation. The actor said that after Heard’s op-ed was published, his reputation was ruined and he lost out on roles, including being dropped by Disney from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

What happened during Depp’s cross-examination?

Heard lawyer Ben Rottenborn repeatedly made the point that Depp is suing Heard specifically over the op-ed, and noted that Heard never named Depp and it didn’t contain any details of their time together. Using texts and audio recordings, Rottenborn pushed back on Depp’s version of events when Heard alleged he abused her. He argued that Depp’s alcohol and drug use were what cost him his career.

What did Heard testify?

The direct examination of the “Aquaman” actress lasted for about two days, during which she described a whirlwind romance with Depp that turned abusive. As Heard testified, the pair met while filming “The Rum Diaries,” commencing a romance during the movie’s 2011 media tour. “When I was around Johnny, I felt like the most beautiful person in the whole world,” Heard testified. “It felt like a dream. It felt like absolute magic.” According to Heard, Depp resumed a lifestyle of heavy drinking and drug use. In graphic detail, an often teary Heard chronicled multiple incidents of physical and sexual abuse from Depp. She painted him as jealous and controlling, often demanding she take roles that didn’t include sex or romance. She said he regularly hit her — adding that on more than one occasion, she feared for her life. During one fight, she testified, he sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle. During her testimony, the defense entered several photos showing an injured Heard into evidence, along with expletive-laden emails and text messages between the couple. Finally, Heard said the op-ed she wrote isn’t about Depp; it’s about what happened to her after she obtained a temporary restraining order against the actor.

What happened during Heard’s cross-examination?

Depp attorney Camille Vasquez attempted to discredit Heard’s testimony with rapid-fire questions. Vasquez pointed to the lack of medical records backing up Heard’s testimony, noting that Heard continued using drugs and alcohol herself while expressing concern about Depp’s substance abuse. She pressed heavily against Heard’s argument that the op-ed at the center of the case isn’t about Depp.

What is at the heart of Depp’s case?

Depp’s attorneys suggest that Heard was abusive to him, rather than the other way around. In an attempt to prove this, they brought out a number of witnesses who knew the couple and claimed to have never seen injuries on Heard. They played various recordings in which Heard taunts and insults Depp. The actor said that when Heard made her allegations, people in the entertainment industry began to think he was a “fraud,” and that she destroyed his career, costing him “everything.”

What is at the heart of Heard’s case?

Heard alleges a pattern of physical and sexual abuse from Depp, which worsened when he drank heavily and used drugs, particularly cocaine and MDMA. The defense called several witnesses who testified to seeing Depp in various states of inebriation. Most said they did not see Depp strike Heard, but that they witnessed him become jealous and angry on several occasions. Heard also says she lost career opportunities due to several comments to the media by Depp’s lawyers, claiming that her allegations were false.

What happened to Johnny Depp’s finger?

The actors have given different accounts of one particularly brutal incident in Australia in 2015, during which the tip of Depp’s finger was severed. He claims it happened when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him, but defense witnesses suggested Depp cut his own finger off and wrote messages in blood on the walls of the house.

What has the Internet reaction been like?

Depp fans have dominated social media, using a few specific hashtags to voice support for the actor and to hurl insults at Heard. The most popular hashtag, #JusticeforJohnnyDepp, has received more than 15 billion views on TikTok. The somewhat corresponding #JusticeforAmberHeard, meanwhile, has only 51 million views — and many of those videos are negative toward Heard, despite the hashtag. Many videos using these hashtags are supercuts from trial footage which are edited to make Heard’s accusations appear unfounded. The hashtags became part of the trial when computer programmer and social media forensic expert Ron Schnell testified that more than 2 million negative tweets toward Heard posted between April 2020 and January 2021 — with one out of four of them referencing Depp lawyer Adam Waldman.

The D.C.-based attorney represents Depp, though not in this trial. Heard’s countersuit revolved around several statements to the media characterizing her claims as a hoax. One statement to the Daily Mail reads, in part, “Amber Heard and her friends in the media use fake sexual violence allegations as both a sword and shield, depending on their needs.” He also leaked audio recordings to the outlet. Although Waldman testified via video deposition as part of the defense’s case, he declined to answer nearly every question, citing attorney-client privilege.

What has the scene at the courthouse been like?

A crowd, composed of mostly Depp fans, has gathered every day of the trial in hopes of being one of the lucky 100 people to get a wristband to sit in the courtroom, which become available at 7 a.m. As the trial has worn on, some fans have begun arriving the night before in hopes of getting a good spot. Depp himself often waves to the crowd as he arrives, while fans clamor for his attention. One even brought a pair of alpacas to the courthouse to “brighten” Depp’s day. The fans have also booed Heard as she leaves the courthouse.

How is the ACLU involved with the trial?

The American Civil Liberties Union, for which Heard is a celebrity ambassador, wrote the first draft of the op-ed at the center of the trial. Heard also pledged to donate $3.5 million — half of what she received in her divorce from Depp — but has yet to make the full donation. This has become a contentious point, as Depp’s lawyers have repeatedly brought up that Heard has only donated $1.3 million, while Heard’s side pointed out the actress never said she won’t ultimately fulfill her pledge, but had to stop making payments because Depp sued her for $50 million.

How are other celebrities — such as James Franco, Elon Musk, Marilyn Manson and Kate Moss — involved with the trial?

A laundry list of celebrities are tangentially or directly connected with the trial. Marilyn Manson and actor Paul Bettany’s names have been mentioned multiple times, as both are friends with Depp (and Manson, in particular, would allegedly use drugs and drink heavily with Depp). Jurors have seen vulgar texts from 2013 between Depp and Bettany in which Depp wrote “Let’s burn Amber!!!” and made a reference to her “burnt corpse.” Actress Ellen Barkin, a former friend and sexual partner of Depp’s, appeared in a video deposition as a defense witness. She testified to the actor being “drunk all the time … a lot of the time” on red wine during their mid-1990s relationship and recounted an incident in which Depp threw a wine bottle across a room. Model Kate Moss, who dated Depp from 1994 to 1998, appeared via video to deny a rumor Heard briefly mentioned during her testimony that Depp once pushed Moss down a staircase during a trip to Jamaica. Elon Musk, whom Heard dated after she split with Depp, has also come up; he made one of the ACLU payments on behalf of Heard. Heard testified that Depp was jealous when she took a role in a movie with James Franco, and that Franco once inquired about bruises on her face following an alleged abusive incident with Depp.

Why have there been so many objections during the trial, and what do they mean?

Anyone watching the trial probably noted the many objections made by both sides. Jamie R. Abrams, a law professor with the University of Louisville, helped break down some of the most common ones we’ve seen.

What is happening when the lawyers request a sidebar?

Throughout the trial, the lawyers have asked for sidebars — when they walk up and speak privately with the judge — often in objection to certain lines of questions. This usually happens when they are “discussing a procedural or evidentiary issue like the ones discussed openly in the courtroom, but they want or need privacy to explain their concern without influencing the jury or confusing the jury,” Abrams says. “For example, the lawyer raising the objection might want to object to a line of questioning because the lawyer knows it is heading toward something that is explicitly disallowed or it has a problematic trajectory to it.” If the lawyer mentioned “the problematic trajectory outright,” then the jury would hear it and it would undermine “the whole point of the objection.”

Pop Culture

What to know as the jury deliberates a verdict in Depp-Heard trial

Who testified to what? What will determine the outcome? What’s the scene like in and out of the courtroom?

By Travis M. Andrews

and

Emily Yahr

May 25, 2022 at 3:19 p.m. EDT

Johnny Depp at the Fairfax County Courthouse on May 24; and Amber Heard in court on April 27. The two movie stars have sued one another in a contentious defamation trial that is now in its sixth week. Closing arguments are expected Friday, May 27. (Left: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images. Right: Jonathan Ernst/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

After six weeks, the contentious defamation trial between actors and former spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard went to a jury Friday afternoon. The jury is expected to resume their deliberations Tuesday morning.

Depp filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife over a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post, in which she referred to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. Depp, seeking $50 million, claims that even though Heard did not name him, the piece damaged his reputation and career because she was referring to the period two years prior, when she filed for divorce and a restraining order; Depp has denied all claims of abuse. Heard then countersued Depp for $100 million after his lawyer said her allegations were false in three statements in the press.