In the US defamation trial between Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, both sides have made serious allegations. Heard’s attorney Elaine Charlson Bredehoft accused Depp in court on Tuesday of repeatedly becoming a violent “monster” under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Depp’s lawyers, however, described Heard’s allegations of domestic violence as a “lie” that massively damaged the actor’s career.
“He has a tremendous amount of anger inside him,” Bredehoft said of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series star, who was married to Heard between 2015 and 2017. “During these tantrums, Mr. Depp abused Amber verbally, emotionally, physically and sexually.”
The actress said she “loved the side of Johnny that we see in the films – the charismatic, charming, generous side.” “But unfortunately the monster got in the way, and that monster came out when he drank and did drugs.”
Bredehoft announced the jury would see photos as evidence of Depp’s violence during the civil trial. “They show bruises, they show cut lips, they show hair torn out.” The photos would also show “two black eyes as he headbutted her.”
Heard’s second attorney, Ben Rottenborn, said the jury would “meet the real Johnny Depp.” “Behind the red carpets, behind the fame, behind the money, behind the pirate costumes, you’ll see who this man really is.”
The lawyers of the 58-year-old rejected the allegations of violence. Attorney Benjamin Chew said Depp never hit Heard or any other woman. “In five decades, nobody had ever accused Johnny Depp of being violent towards a woman.”
Depp’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, said the film star was in fact the victim of Heard’s attacks. The actress, known from films like “Aquaman” and “The Danish Girl”, “threw things at him and hit him”.
The subject of the process is an article by Heard for the Washington Post newspaper, in which the 35-year-old described herself as a victim of domestic violence at the end of 2018. Heard did not name her ex-husband. However, Depp argues that he is implicitly accused of domestic violence, especially since Heard had publicly accused him of a physical assault in 2016.
Depp is suing his ex-wife for $50 million in damages. His attorney Chew said Tuesday in his opening statement that Heard had massively damaged the actor’s career with false allegations. “One false accusation can destroy a career,” said the attorney. “Over nearly 30 years, Mr. Depp has built a reputation as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. Today, that name has been linked to a lie, a false statement by his former wife.”
Heard has filed a counterclaim against Depp. In it, she is demanding $100 million in damages. Both lawsuits are at issue in the Fairfax, Virginia, lawsuit.
The former celebrity couple had previously faced each other at a trial in London in 2020. At the time, Depp sued the British tabloid The Sun, which had described him as a “wife bully”. Heard testified as a witness at the trial. Depp was defeated in the process.
The new trial in Fairfax, which began Monday with jury selection, is expected to last several weeks. The first witness to testify on Tuesday was Depp’s older sister, Christie Dembrowski. There will be a number of prominent witnesses at the trial, including actors James Franco and Paul Bettany, actress Ellen Barkin and Tesla founder Elon Musk.