Johnny Depp faces cross-examination in Amber Heard defamation trial – Nationwide

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Johnny Depp‘s cross-examination continued Thursday as he took the stand for a 3rd day to testify towards ex-wife Amber Heard, whom he has accused of ruining his repute and profession with false accusations of home violence.

As cross examination started, Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn requested Depp if he thought of himself a “southern gentleman.” Depp confirmed, including he’s achieved his finest to fulfill these chivalrous requirements.

Heard’s lawyer then requested about Depp’s relationship with Marvel star Paul Bettany, finest recognized for taking part in Imaginative and prescient in WandaVision. 

Throughout a 2020 U.Ok. libel case, which Depp misplaced, a number of personal and disturbing textual content messages with Depp had been learn in courtroom.

These texts from 2014 had been once more learn in courtroom Thursday, together with messages from Depp, who texted Bettany, “Let’s drown [Heard] earlier than we burn her.”

“I’ll f–okay her burnt corpse afterward to ensure she is lifeless.”

A number of pictures of medication allegedly belonging to Depp had been submitted as proof to the jury. These included a photograph of a number of traces of cocaine alongside whiskey and a small field with a cranium and crossbones and the phrases “property of JD,” which may be seen within the picture. A photograph of 4 massive luggage of marijuana was additionally proven in courtroom.

A number of textual content messages from Depp discussing medicine and drug utilization had been learn aloud, together with references to cocaine, marijuana and varied drugs.

After a quick break, the trial resumed and the courtroom heard an audio recording of a dialog between Heard and Depp. Within the audio, jurors listened to Heard inform Depp of his behaviour whereas allegedly underneath the affect of medication, together with vomiting in his sleep.

A photograph was additionally proven of Depp asleep on the sofa in his Boston residence with melted ice cream in his lap. Depp testified within the photograph he had labored an extended day and had taken opioids, and that’s why he fell asleep on the sofa.

Audio recording of the actor moaning “like a pained animal,” in line with Depp, was additionally performed in courtroom. It’s unclear when the audio recording befell.

Tensions rose within the courtroom as Rottenborn continued his cross examination of Depp, casting doubt on whether or not the actor had been sober from alcohol for 18 months.

Depp spoke about this alleged sobriety throughout his testimony Wednesday.

After lunch, the cross examination of Depp continued. Heard’s lawyer started by questioning the actor concerning the couple’s time in Australia throughout 2015, when Depp’s finger was severed.

Throughout his testimony, Depp admitted to dipping his severed finger in paint to write down messages in each paint and blood on the partitions and furnishings in the home the place he and Heard had been staying.

A number of pictures of the the paint/blood “reminders,” as Depp known as them, had been proven in courtroom, together with scrawled, barely legible writing on a mirror and lampshade.

A big portion of Thursday afternoon’s questioning was devoted to the day Depp’s finger was severed. In each an audio clip and several other textual content messages, Depp refers to that day as “the day I chopped off my finger.”

Throughout his earlier testimony, Depp claimed the digit was severed by Heard throwing a vodka bottle at him.

On Wednesday, Depp testified concerning the particulars of his relationship with Heard, claiming she used his private weaknesses as “ammunition.”

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“It appeared like pure hatred for me,” he stated, claiming Heard would name-call and escalate misunderstandings into “full-scale arguments.”

Depp instructed the courtroom the explanation he stayed with Heard was “difficult,” hypothesizing his behaviour stemmed from his personal mom’s abuse towards his father.

He stated Heard threatened suicide “many occasions” when he tried to go away, and likewise shared particulars of a very nasty combat that occurred shortly after he requested Heard to signal a postnuptial settlement in 2015.

Though he claims he had been sober for “many months” at that time (aside from marijuana) he stated he drank two or three pictures of vodka.

As he was ingesting, he stated Heard threw two bottles of vodka at him. The primary bottle missed the actor, however the second bottle, he claims, made contact together with his hand, severing the highest of his finger.

Depp stated in the course of his “nervous breakdown” he began to write down “little reminders from our previous” on the partitions in his personal blood, together with “little lies I had caught her in.”

Depp additionally accused Heard of extinguishing a lit cigarette on his proper cheek throughout the identical incident.

The courtroom additionally heard audio clips of the ex-spouses arguing. In a single clip, Depp accused Heard of punching him, whereas Heard accused Depp of operating away from the combat into different rooms of the home.

“I didn’t punch you, by the way in which,” Heard stated within the clip. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hit you throughout the face in a correct slap, however I used to be hitting you. I didn’t punch you.”

“Don’t inform me what it feels wish to be punched,” Depp replied.

Depp additionally shared that after one altercation, the place he claims Heard scratched him on his face, she returned to the room with what gave the impression to be blood on a tissue and he or she claimed he broke her nostril.

Depp stated when he retrieved the tissue from the rubbish it gave the impression to be pink nail polish on the tissue, not blood.

“Every time certainly one of these incidents would happen it appeared to worsen and worse,” Depp stated, referring to the extent of alleged abuse.

Earlier than turning to cross-examination, Depp detailed a few of the results Heard’s allegations had on his profession and repute.

“I don’t know if she needed me to be erased, or drop lifeless, or needed me to stay round and permit her to wreck my life and exit of her strategy to disgrace me, and harm my children, and harm individuals I’ve recognized for a lot of, a few years,” the actor instructed the courtroom.

He stated that as Heard’s allegations made their manner by way of the media, he started to note a change in how individuals handled him.

“You discover individuals taking a look at you in another way. And then you definately discover calls cease coming from brokers and producers.”

Cross-examination began on the finish of the day on Wednesday, with Heard’s lawyer, Ben Rottenborn, shortly getting underneath Depp’s pores and skin by narrowing in on the op-ed piece and a joint assertion launched by each actors, casting a lot of Depp’s different testimony apart.

The lawyer emphasised that in 2016 Depp signed a doc stating “Neither get together has made false accusations for monetary acquire,” contradicting what Depp now claims occurred.

Testimony earlier this week heard Depp element his troubled childhood by the hands of an abusive mom, the historical past and frequency of his substance use and the timeline of his relationship with Heard.

Talking regularly of the affect the case and its particulars have had on his youngsters, Depp stated he’s additionally suffered from a private fall-from-grace.

“At some point you’re Cinderella, so to talk, after which in 0.6 seconds you’re Quasimodo.”

The authorized battle of the 2 stars has captured the eye of spectators across the globe, with each Heard, 35, and Depp, 58, claiming to be victims of violence. The preliminary courtroom case started when Depp filed a $50-million defamation lawsuit over a Washington Put up op-ed penned by Heard in late 2018 about home abuse.

Heard didn’t point out Depp by identify within the article, however the actor alleges his repute and profession had been nonetheless “devastated” consequently.

Depp’s attorneys have already known as on a number of witnesses, together with associates, the couple’s therapist, and the physician and nurse who declare they handled the Pirates of the Caribbean actor for substance abuse points.

In opening statements delivered by the previous spouses’ authorized groups final week, Depp’s attorneys declare Heard is “selecting to lie about him for her personal private profit.”

Heard’s attorneys argued the alternative, claiming freedom of speech allowed the Aquaman actor to pen the Washington Put up op-ed.