During the trial of the Hollywood star Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation In the United States, text messages were read that the actor sent to his old friend and neighbor Isaac Baruch where he wrote that he hoped that Amber Heard was a “decomposing corpse”.
The case began in a Virginia court in a lawsuit Depp, 58, filed against Heard, 35, for 50 million dollars.
Depp alleges Heard defamed him when he wrote a opinion piece in December 2018 at the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse.
The article never mentioned Depp by nameBut Depp’s lawyer, Benjamin Chew, told the jury Tuesday that it was clear Heard was referring to the Hollywood star.
Chew told the jury that Heard published the article on the eve of the premiere of “Aquaman,” his biggest movie to date. to generate publicity and advance your career.
J. Benjamin Rottenborn, attorney for Heard, said in his opening statement that Depp was trying to fool the jury with “crazy conspiracy theories”.
Rottenborn said Heard was telling the truth about the “horrible” abuse she endured. However, the case focuses on whether Heard’s op-ed was protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Another of Heard’s lawyers, Elaine Bredehoft, said that during a trip to Australia in 2015, Depp dragged Heard across the floor, punched her, kicked her and then “penetrated her with a liquor bottle.”
At trial, Depp’s friend Isaac Baruch took the stand as Heard’s lawyers revealed the text messages.
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depp denied with his head in the courtroom when Bredehoft made the statement to the jury.
A state court judge in Fairfax County, Virginia, is overseeing the trial, which is expected to last six weeks. A jury was selected on Monday.
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 and caused her to fear for her life.
In the US case, Depp and Heard presented their lists of potential witnesses they could put on the stand. Heard’s includes her ex-boyfriend and CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, with whom he texted about Depp. Also on the list of possible witnesses is the actor James Franco.
The Washington Post is not a defendant in the case. Depp’s attorneys have said they filed the case in Fairfax County, outside the District of Columbia, because the newspaper is printed at a facility there. Heard unsuccessfully tried to move the case to Los Angeles, where she and Depp lived.
Depp and Heard met while filming the 2011 movie “The Rum Diary” and married four years later. heard accused Depp of domestic abuse after filing for divorce in 2016.
Heard is known for her roles in “Aquaman” and “Justice League.” She filed her own defamation lawsuit against Depp, saying that he defamed her by calling her a liar.
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Heard is seeking $100 million in damages from Depp, according to court documents.
In her statement to the High Court in London, Heard said Depp became a jealous alter ego, “the monster”, after abusing drugs and alcohol and threatening to kill her.
She detailed 14 occasions of extreme violence as she said the actor choked, punched, slapped, head-butted, choked and kicked her. The London judge accepted 12 of these accounts as true.
Following the November 2020 ruling in the London libel trial, Depp was replaced by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen in the third film in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, a spin-off of the “Harry Potter” books and movies. .
(With information from Archyde.com)