Johnny Depp’s lawyer questioned this Tuesday the ex-wife of the actor, Amber Heardand showed love notes she wrote during their brief marriage to challenge her accounts of frequent violence and bolster the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star’s defamation case.
Depp, 58, sued Heard for $50 million, claiming she defamed him when she claimed he was a victim of domestic abuse. He has testified that he never hit Heard and argued that she was the abuser in her relationship.
During his cross-examination, Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquezshowed the jury a knife that Heard gave Depp in 2012. Heard, best known for her role in “Aquaman,” said Depp had already turned violent by then, often attacking her when he was drunk or using drugs.
“¿This is the knife you gave to the man who would get drunk and violent with you.?” Vasquez questioned Heard, who responded that she didn’t think he would stab her.
Heard, 36, countersued Depp for $100 million, arguing that Depp defamed her by calling her a liar. She said that she only hit Depp to defend herself or her sister.
Vasquez read diary entries that Heard said the couple kept to share love notes.
“True love is not just about the madness of passion or, instead, choosing security over peace. No, it’s about both,” Heard wrote in May 2015, two months after an argument in which the top of Depp’s right middle finger was severed.
“Still, perhaps more than ever, I want to tear you apart, devour you and savor the taste”, he added.
Depp has said that Heard threw a bottle of vodka which hurt his finger, while Heard said that Depp probably hurt himself when he smashed a phone into “pieces”.
In another diary excerpt, after their July 2015 honeymoon aboard the Orient Express train, Heard said she “couldn’t imagine a more beautiful honeymoon,” adding: “I love you more and more with each passing day“.
Heard had told jurors Monday that Depp assaulted her and put a T-shirt around her neck during the drive.
When asked about the tickets, Heard said that she tried to “foster as much peace as possible” and that “when things were good, they were really good.”
Vasquez also showed the jury a proposed program for his boda with Depp. The agenda included time for a “dance party, drugs and music” after the rehearsal dinner.
“Were you planning to have drugs at your wedding with someone you characterize as a drug addict?” Camille Vasquez asked.
Heard indicated that the schedule was a draft that underwent changes.
The actors got married in February 2015 and their divorce was finalized about two years later.
The legal case centers on a December 2018 op-ed by Heard that appeared in the Washington Post. The article never mentioned Depp by name, but his lawyer told the jury that it was clear Heard was referring to him.
Depp, once among Hollywood’s biggest stars, said Heard’s accusations cost him “everything”. A new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie was put on hold and Depp was replaced in the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise, a spin-off from “Harry Potter”.
Heard’s attorneys have argued that she was telling the truth and that her opinion was protected by free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Less than two years ago, Depp lost a libel case against the Sun, a British tabloid that labeled him a “wife beater.” A London High Court judge ruled that he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.
Depp’s attorneys filed the case in Fairfax County, Virginia, because the Washington Post is published there. The newspaper is not a defendant. (Archyde.com)