After six long weeks, it ends today
TW: This article contains themes of sexual assault and domestic abuse. Discretion is advised.
After six weeks in court, the Depp v. Heard trial will come to an end this evening (27th May).
Johnny Depp took his ex-wife, Amber Heard, to court after she wrote an opinion article calling herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Despite not naming Depp in the piece, he’s hoping to sue her for £39 million. Heard is countersuing the actor £81 million in damages. It could be days, even weeks, before the jury arrive at their verdict.
The trial dug into the pair’s relationship in depth, as well as fighting through the court of public opinion and the media. If you haven’t been following the case so far – here are all the key moments you’ve missed:
Photo by Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock
Johnny Depp’s testimony began on the second day of the trial, 12th April. His lengthy run of questions lasted several days, before moving on to cross-examination via Heard’s legal team.
Early in his testimony, he clarified the reason for suing his ex in the first place: “My goal is the truth,” he said. “One day you’re Cinderella and then in zero-point-six seconds you’re Quasimodo. I didn’t deserve that and neither did my children.
“Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.”
Depp spoke candidly about his issues with alcohol and drug addiction. At the point of being in a relationship with Heard, he claimed he was trying to get sober with the help of his clinician, Dr. Kipper.
In a moment he described as “the lowest point of my life,” Depp alleged Heard withheld medication from him while going through withdrawal symptoms.
“I was sitting on a couch… Ms. Heard was in the kitchen area… I think it was around 2:30 in the afternoon and the effects of the withdrawals were really coming on. And I said to Ms. Heard, ‘I’m going to need the meds. Now.
“She looked at the clock, and she said it wasn’t time. I said no, no, you don’t understand. This isn’t about clocks and watches. I’m going into… it was visible.”
While detailing the day he got married to Heard; Depp claimed she took drugs from a “communal bag of MDMA,” alongside her friends.
As Camille Vasquez, a member of Depp’s legal team, cross-examined Heard, she pulled up a draft plan for the pair’s wedding rehearsal. One of the time slots mentioned “music and drugs,” which Heard didn’t deny.
“I stood up,” he said. “And I walked behind the bar. There was a larger bottle of vodka with a handle, you know? I grabbed that and I went and sat in my seat again. I opened the bottle and I poured myself a shot…
“Ms. Heard was flinging insults left, right and centre and she then grabbed that bottle and threw it at me. I didn’t feel the pain at first, at all. I felt no pain whatsoever… I looked down and realised the tip of my finger had been severed.”
Photo by Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock
During his testimony, Johnny Depp began talking about the moment he found a photo of “human” faeces in his bed – which he alleged “ended the relationship.”
“It was so bizarre, and so grotesque that I could only laugh… it was human faecal matter.
“My initial response to that was… I mean, I laughed. She tried to blame it on the dogs. They’re Teacup Yorkies, they only weigh about four pounds each. It was clear it did not come from a dog.”
Heard categorically denied this: “I had just been attacked on my 30th birthday by my violent husband, with whom I was desperately in love and knew I needed to leave,” she told the court. “I was not in a pranking mood. My life was falling apart.” She also testified their Teacup Yorkie, Boo, has issues with bowel control.
An audio clip revealed Amber Heard did, at one point, hit Johnny Depp: “I didn’t punch you, by the way. I’m sorry I didn’t hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you. I wasn’t punching you.
“Babe, you’re not punched… I’m sorry I hit you… but I did not punch you. I didn’t fucking deck you. I fucking was hitting you. I don’t know what the actual motion of my hand was, but you’re fine. I did not punch you, I was hitting you.” The context to this clip is still unknown.
Photo by Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock
Loud Depp fans have been repeatedly warned throughout the trial. At one point, the actor made a light-hearted comment during his testimony, and the Judge threatened to throw them out for laughing.
The COO of the American Civil Liberties Union – an organisation to which Amber Heard was said to have pledged £2.8 million ($3.5 million) of her divorce settlement – stated she only actually donated 10 per cent of that.
Heard later clarified she couldn’t donate everything after being sued.
Photo by STEVE HELBER/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
One of Johnny Depp’s lawyers, in charge of cross-examining Amber Heard, told her why her ex-husband hadn’t looked at her throughout the trial.
“Mr. Depp hasn’t looked at you once this entire trial, has he?” she asked.
“Not that I’ve noticed, no.” Heard replied.
“You’ve looked at him, though, many times.” Vasquez insisted. “You know exactly why Mr. Depp won’t look back at you, don’t you? He promised you, you would never see his eyes again… one of the last times you ever saw Mr. Depp, in San Francisco of July 2016.”
The actress alleged Depp would try to control her work. “It was little-by-little,” she said.
As well as not being able to “have a sex scene,” she claimed he wouldn’t let her take roles with any love storylines. She also said he made her wear minimal makeup.
Heard accused Depp of sexually assaulting her in 2013. While searching for his cocaine, Depp supposedly became paranoid and performed a “cavity search” on Heard. Psychologist Dawn Hughes corroborated this story.
Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/AP/Shutterstock
The supermodel dated Depp between 1994 – 1998. During Heard’s testimony, she detailed an alleged fight between herself, Depp and her sister on top of a flight of stairs. The actress said she couldn’t stop thinking about “Kate Moss and the stairs,” as Depp’s legal team celebrated.
Moss stated she fell down the stairs during the course of her relationship with Depp, but he “never pushed, kicked or threw (her).”
“People want to kill me and they tell me so. Every day. People want to put my baby in the microwave. They tell me that,” she said. “Johnny threatened – promised me – that if I ever left him, I’d make him think of him every single day that I lived.”
Featured image via Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock.
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After six long weeks, it ends today
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