The libel trial of Hollywood actor Johnny Depp against his ex-wife and fellow actress Amber Heard started on Tuesday after a five-day hiatus. The trial’s presiding judge, Penney Azcarate, had a prior engagement that she had to attend all last week.
On Tuesday, Amber Heard proceeded to testify under cross-examination by Depp’s attorneys, as she had done the day before. The trial is set to end on May 27, but not before possible witnesses for Heard or Depp are put to the stand to testify. The jury will deliberate once both sides’ attorneys have presented their final arguments. The length of time it will take to reach a decision is unknown.
What occurred on Tuesday?
Amber Heard’s legal team accused Johnny Depp legal team of taking drugs, assaulting him, and tampering with images that the actress cited as proof of the alleged abuse she alleges she endured at the hands of the famous actor. The 38-year-old lady was questioned about her claims that Depp grew aggressive while under the influence of narcotics and alcohol.
They were specifically looking for his version of events surrounding a protracted 2015 disagreement between the former couple that occurred while they were in Australia. Throughout the trial, the point has been brought up many times. Depp claims that his ex-wife slashed his fingertip with a bottle of vodka. Heard, on the other hand, has claimed that Depp raped her with a bottle.
Given this, Depp’s defense questioned why Heard did not seek medical assistance despite alleging scratches and bruises during the tumultuous battle. “Are you the one who attacked someone in Australia with a bottle, Mrs. Heard?” Camille Vasquez, an attorney, stated “I never attacked Johnny,” Heard said in response. He eventually admitted to hitting Depp in many instances, which he claimed happened after years of not protecting himself.
Jurors were also given a passage from Heard’s journal, which he characterized as “love letters” and in which he seems to apologize to Depp. “I’m sorry, but I’m going insane.” “I apologize for hurting you,” she wrote. “When I’m wounded, I can go nasty.” “It’s vital to apologize when you’re trying to get over disagreements,” Heard added, explaining the writing.
Similarly, when they listened to the recording in which Heard tells her then-husband that she “gets so upset that she loses her temper” and that he “cannot guarantee not to use force,” the jury members expressed concern. Vasquez also questioned the authenticity of a picture Heard claims depicts the aftermath of Depp’s alleged physical assault in May 2016.
“Are you sure you didn’t modify these photos?” the lawyer inquired. “No, I’ve never modified a picture,” Heard said.
Depp’s drug usage has been a cause of contention in Heard’s marriage on many occasions.
Heard testified for several days this month that Depp sought to control his career, that he didn’t appreciate her taking on new jobs, and that he was occasionally envious of her co-stars.
Heard spoke of Depp’s tantrums and how he would cut himself with a knife or burn himself with a cigarette during their continual verbal sparring on Monday. Depp’s defense presented two photos of Amber Heard taken shortly after the claimed assaults, in which she seems to be free of any scars or bruises on her face or body. Heard responded that she had reduced swelling with ice and disguised the sores with makeup.
Witnesses
Both Depp and Heard presented a list of witnesses that their legal teams could call to support their arguments before the trial began. Each side has filed objections to the other’s witnesses, so the list is always changing. Ellen Barkin, an actress who appeared alongside Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, is one of the potential witnesses (translated as “Panic and Madness in Las Vegas” or “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”).
Barkin was reported to have accused Depp’s co-star, with whom he is alleged to have had an affair, of throwing a bottle of wine in a hotel room during Depp’s previous libel trial in the UK. According to Reuters, Depp called the claim “false” and accused Barkin of being resentful of him. Whitney Henriquez may also be called to testify on behalf of her sister Amber Heard. She previously stated that she “begged” Heard not to marry the actor in a previous statement.
Christi Dembrowski, Johnny’s sister, testified on his behalf in April, and Debbie Depp, another sister, is on Heard’s list and could testify soon. A source told the British newspaper The Independent that billionaire Elon Musk, with whom Heard allegedly had a romantic relationship, will not make his long-awaited video appearance. Although he was on the list of the two plaintiffs, actor James Franco’s video appearance has also been canceled.
Depp’s friend and British co-star in one of his films, Paul Bethany, will also be absent.
So, what’s the verdict?
After Amber Heard’s cross-examination concludes later this week, potential witnesses will be called. The closing arguments and the lawyers’ closing arguments will follow. The jury will now begin deliberations, but it is unclear how long it will take to reach a decision. This trial is taking into account a $50 million defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp, as well as a $100 million counterclaim filed by Amber Heard.
The jury will have to figure out which amounts belong to whom. According to the analysts for the channels that broadcast the trial, neither of the plaintiffs will face a jail sentence. Both parties are reportedly aware of the possibility of neither receiving compensation. If Amber Heard is not found guilty, however, Johnny Depp will be responsible for her legal fees.
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