On Monday, lawyers representing Amber Heard played audio recordings of a spat between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The Johnny Depp defamation trial was held in Fairfax County Circuit Court.
In the Johnny Depp defamation trial, Depp repeatedly refused allegations of domestic abuse made by Amber Heard. On the contrary, he made a claim that it was Amber Heard who had several fits of violence in their relationship.
In 2018, after Amber Heard wrote a column for The Washington Post where she described herself as a celebrity and public persona who’s been a victim of domestic abuse, Depp filed a defamation suit against Heard.
Depp’s suit claimed that even though his name was not mentioned, there was a heavy implication that she meant him. He also claimed that she was seeking over $50 million as compensation.
Later, the “Aquaman” star counter-sued Depp. Her suit claimed she suffered under the hands of Depp and asked for $100 million.
In an audio recording, the “Alice in Wonderland” actor was heard calling Amber Heard a “fat ass”. In another recording, Amber can be heard accusing Depp of taking a swing at her and physically abusing her.
Rottenborn’s convictions against Johnny Depp
In the three days of the Johnny Depp defamation trial, Heard’s lawyer, Rottenborn, alleged that Depp was an abusive monster.
He claimed that, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, Depp had abused Heard both physically and sexually.
On the witness stand, Depp refused the claims and reiterated that he had never abused Heard. He said that the only person suffering from his alcohol abuse was himself.
Rottenborn also quoted headlines from newspapers about Heard’s restraining order against Depp, filed in 2016, prior to her 2018 article.
He sought this to prove to the jury that Heard’s restraining order predated the accusations made in the 2018 article.
Depp’s Severed Finger
After Depp finished his testimony, his lawyers invited Ben King to stand as a witness. Ben King was an Englishman who worked as a housekeeper for the couple’s Australian resident.
The entirety of his testimony revolved around Depp’s severed finger incident. Allegedly, Heard threw a bottle of vodka at him, which smashed the tip of his middle finger against the edge of the bar counter.
In the Johnny Depp defamation trial, King told the court that he had found a broken vodka bottle of Stolichnaya on the floor. Also, along with it, the severed fingertip was wrapped in tissue paper and was beside it.
Conclusion
The defamation claim has costed Depp his iconic role of Jack Sparrow in future Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Last year, he was also removed from the villainous role of Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. This was due to the “wife-beater” libel case against him by The Sun in London.
Published By : Chittajallu H S Kumar
Edited By: Kiran Maharana
