“Tell the world,” Heard said on the recording. “Tell them, Johnny Depp: I, Johnny Depp, a man, am also a victim of domestic violence and I know it’s a fair fight, and see how many people believe or take your side.”
Asked by his lawyer if he is a victim of domestic violence, Depp said: “Yes, I am.”
That ended four days of testimony about a chaotic, sometimes violent relationship. The key question for jurors is not whether Depp was a victim, but whether he can prove that Heard was not. Depp has alleged that Heard’s false accusations of physical abuse forced him to leave the franchise. “Pirates of the Caribbean” and destroyed his career.
Depp and Heard often recorded their arguments so that if there was a dispute over what someone had said, they could play it back. Those clips have become critical evidence in the case, as attorneys on both sides took turns playing clips that supported their client’s version of events. The attorneys also showed numerous text messages to the jury.
The key moments of Johnny Depp’s testimony
Heard admits to ‘hitting’ Depp
In audio played for the jury last Wednesday, Heard admitted to “hitting” Depp during a fight. “I was hitting you, not hitting you,” she told Depp. “You are a fucking baby. You’re a baby. Grow up in one go.
The audio confirms Depp’s claim that Heard hit him. It doesn’t solve the key problem: did he hit her? – but it supports Depp’s credibility.
Heard tells Depp ‘you hit me like shit’
In a clip played for jurors on Monday morning, Heard told Depp that he had dumped her “a goddamn week earlier after you beat me up.” Depp did not dispute that characterization in the audio. A few moments later in the conversation, he said, “I made a big mistake,” though it’s unclear what she’s referring to.
Depp’s drug and alcohol use
In May 2014, Depp and Heard flew from Boston to Los Angeles on a private jet. Heard alleges that Depp kicked and slapped her during the flight and Depp denies this. On direct examination, Depp testified that he had taken two pills of Roxicodone, an opiate on which he had become dependent, before the flight. He alleged that Heard was trying to provoke a fight and retreated to the bathroom and passed out.
On cross-examination, he was shown a text message indicating that he had taken a little more than that: “Powders… half a bottle of whiskey, a thousand Red Bull vodkas, pills, 2 bottles of Champers” and that as a result , had become “an aggressive and blind person, shouting obscenities and insulting any shit that came near”.
Depp said on the stand that he was exaggerating for effect. But there were other times when he seemed to downplay his drug and alcohol use, or deny that he was using when contemporary texts indicate that he was. That doesn’t mean he hit Heard, but it could be a factor for jurors in assessing his overall credibility.
The monster
Heard’s attorney made repeated references to the “monster,” a term Depp used in the texts. Depp maintained that the term originated with Heard as a description of her dark side, and that he used it with her as a shorthand without necessarily agreeing with her. But Heard’s lawyer showed him several more texts — with her doctor, her assistant and Elton John — in which Depp also referred to the “monster.”
He also gave various explanations as to what the “monster” was. At one point, he said that he was referring to alcohol and drugs. She also said that she was referring to Heard’s perception of his drug use, which she said was often wrong. At another point, he said “the monster was sobriety,” adding that he was “plagued by these requests to stop drinking.”
Shortly after that, he gave another explanation. “The monster was the guy who was dumb enough to continue to engage in arguments that would ultimately lead nowhere,” she said.
Heard will have the opportunity to give her own explanation when she takes the stand.
violent text messages
Depp described himself as avoiding conflict, running away from fights and hiding in his bedroom, saying he had little “voice” in the relationship. But on cross-examination, he was found explaining violent and disturbing text messages in which he vented his anger.
He repeatedly referred to Heard as a “pussy” and a “dirty whore”. In text messages to the actor Paul Bettany, wrote, “Let’s burn Amber… Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! Then I’ll fuck her burned corpse to make sure she’s dead.”
Depp explained that this was a “Monty Python” reference, and that he sometimes has a dark sense of humor.
In another text, he wrote that he “had screwed up and gone too far in our fight”, although he denied that it was a reference to physical violence.
The texts undermine the notion he presented that his instinct was always to withdraw from the conflict.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Depp not only has to prove that Heard defamed him, he also has to prove that he was harmed. Heard’s team maintains that his career was already in a tailspin before Heard published the Washington Post op-ed in December 2018, and that the op-ed did no further damage.
Depp appeared to help Heard’s defense when asked about an October 2018 article in the Daily Mail suggesting he was “out” of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, two months before the op-ed. Depp could have denied it or said that he didn’t know anything about it. Instead, he said the article “doesn’t surprise me” because his reputation had been shattered at the time.
“It had been two years of constant talk around the world about me being a wife beater,” he testified. “So I’m sure Disney was trying to cut ties to be safe.”
In the redirect, Depp’s lawyers tried to clear that up, having Depp testify that he didn’t find out about his firing until a few days after the op-ed was published.
Source: Ambito
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