Famous actor, Johnny Depp, took the stand in a Fairfax, Virginia court in his defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, as he claimed that he has never struck any woman in his life.
In his roughly three-hour testimony, the Oscar-nominated star spoke in detail about Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse, his history with substance abuse, and their relationship, according to reports.
“My goal is the truth,” Depp said in his early remarks.
Depp, known for his work in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise, is suing Heard for $50 million in a Fairfax County, Virginia court over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, in which she wrote about her experience with domestic abuse. It is worth mentioning that Depp was not referred to by name in Heard’s piece. In the years prior to the publishing of the op-ed, Heard alleged that Depp bruised her face after throwing a phone at her in their Los Angeles home. Depp denied the allegation and was not charged with any crime.
Depp acknowledged in his testimony that he and Heard had arguments during their relationship but noted, “Never did I myself reach the point of striking Heard in any way nor have I ever struck any woman in my life”.
Depp claimed that Heard’s op-ed led to financial losses for him, including being dropped from future ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films after he led the franchise for 15 years.
“One day you’re Cinderella so to speak and then in zero point six seconds you’re Quasimodo,” Depp said of how his career turned after he was accused of abuse. “I didn’t deserve that and nor did my children, nor did the people who had believed in me all these years”.
Meanwhile, Heard posted a note in advance of the current defamation trial on her verified social media accounts, writing “I never named [Depp], rather I wrote about the price women pay for speaking against men in power. I continue to pay that price, but hopefully, when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny.”
“I have always maintained a love for Johnny and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world,” she wrote. “At this time, I recognize the ongoing support I’ve been fortunate to receive throughout these years, and in these coming weeks I will be leaning on it more than ever”.
‘She was too good to be true’
During the trial, Depp mentioned that his testimony was the first opportunity he has had to speak about this case in full. In his testimony, Depp spoke about the beginning of his relationship with Heard, saying “from what I recall, what I remember, she was too good to be true”.
“She was attentive, she was loving, she was smart, she was kind, she was funny, she was understanding. We had many things in common,” Depp said.
Depp stated that Heard was wonderful for some time between a year and a year and a half. He also mentioned how he was growing close to Heard’s family. However, “things just started to change, or things started to reveal themselves, is a better way to put it”.
A prior case
Late last year, Depp lost a case in the UK against News Group Newspapers and Dan Wootton, Executive Editor of The Sun, over an article that claimed Depp was violent toward Heard while they were together. The UK’s High Court ruled in the publisher’s favor.
Lawyers for the newspaper group argued in court filings that Depp “beat his wife Amber Heard, causing her to suffer significant injury, and on occasion leading to her fearing for her life,” citing evidence, including photos, audio recordings, and Depp’s own text messages.
During the trial, Depp said the tabloid’s claims that he was violent toward Heard were “completely untrue”.
Judge Andrew Nicol said in his judgment that the paper’s claims had been shown to be substantially true.
Read also: Joseph Kpemka Calls For Immediate Address Of Injunction Filed Against E-levy
