(CNN) — The sister of American actress Amber Heard testified Wednesday that she saw actor Johnny Depp grab Heard by the hair and punch her in the face repeatedly when they were married.
Whitney Heard Henriquez, Heard’s younger sister, testified in court Wednesday as part of the ongoing libel case between Heard and her ex-husband, Depp.
Henriquez said that he lived with Heard and Depp from time to time during the course of their relationship and that he thought of Depp as a brother.
Whitney Henriquez, sister of actress Amber Heard, testifies on the stand during Johnny Depp’s libel trial against his ex-wife. May 18, 2022.
Heard Henriquez testified to an incident in which he saw Depp throw a can of Red Bull at his nurse, Debbie Lloyd, which Lloyd denied in his testimony.
“He comes up behind me, hits me in the back. I hear Amber yelling, ‘don’t hit my fucking sister.’ She throws punches at him, she hits him,” Henriquez said. “By this time, Johnny had already grabbed Amber by her hair with one of her hands and repeatedly punching her in the face with the other.”
Depp accused Heard of defaming him in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post. In the article, which was published about two years after they divorced, Heard described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Although Depp was not named in the article, she claims that she cost him lucrative acting roles.
Heard has filed a counterclaim for $100 million.
Heard accused Depp of physically and sexually abusing her during their relationship. Depp denied hitting Heard during her testimony.
Depp’s legal team has accused Heard of being the abuser in the relationship.
‘It wasn’t my place,’ says Amber Heard’s sister
Heard Henriquez, who was cross-examined by Depp’s lawyer Rebecca Lecaroz, said she sometimes acted as marriage counselor and sometimes sided with Depp in arguments. Lecaroz questioned Heard Henriquez about why she supported her sister when she wanted to continue in the relationship with Depp.
“You wanted Mrs. Heard to stay with Mr. Depp even after you saw him hit her, right?” Lecaroz asked.
“That’s really oversimplifying something that’s far from simple. Again, Amber was very much in love, as was Johnny. She was telling me that she wanted something. Whether or not I agreed, whether or not I agreed with what was going on, it wasn’t my place,” Henriquez testified.
Jurors on Wednesday also heard testimony from several witnesses, including a makeup artist and acting coach who worked with Heard, who said they saw Heard with injuries during her relationship with Depp.
Multiple witnesses said they saw Heard with facial injuries after an altercation in May 2016 that ultimately preceded Heard getting a restraining order against Depp and the couple divorcing.
Their testimony contradicts that of two Los Angeles police officers, who testified earlier in the trial that they saw no visible injuries on Heard’s face and no disorder in the former couple’s home.
The trial is scheduled to continue this Thursday.
— Publisher’s note: an earlier version of this article suggested that Herínquez used cocaine with Depp on the day of the alleged incident.