After weeks of explosive testimony, a jury within the US awarded Depp greater than $10m in a lawsuit he introduced in opposition to Heard.
After weeks of explosive testimony and three days of deliberations within the blockbuster defamation case between actors Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the jury delivered a break up verdict largely in favour of Depp on Wednesday.
And whereas the jury discovered that every had defamed the opposite, Depp celebrated the decision as a victory and Heard declared herself upset “past phrases”.
Listed below are a few of the key moments from the trial, which featured blistering claims and counterclaims of home abuse:
1) Mutual abuse allegations
Depp sued Heard for libel over a December 2018 op-ed through which she described herself as “a public determine representing home abuse”. His attorneys mentioned he was defamed by the article despite the fact that it by no means talked about his title.
Whereas the case was ostensibly about libel, a lot of the testimony centered on whether or not Heard had been bodily and sexually abused, as she claimed.
Heard detailed greater than a dozen alleged assaults. Depp testified that he by no means hit Heard or some other girl. He mentioned she was the one who turned abusive and “bullied” him with “demeaning name-calling”.
“It may start with a slap, it may start with a shove, it may start with throwing a TV distant at my head, throwing a glass of wine in my face,” Depp mentioned.
The pair supplied differing accounts of an early 2015 argument in Australia, the place Depp was filming a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film.
2) The severed fingertip
Hours of testimony in the course of the six-week trial had been dedicated to a grisly incident in March 2015 in Australia, the place Depp was filming the fifth instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean.
The tip of Depp’s right-hand center finger was severed throughout a heated argument with Heard at their rented residence.
Depp mentioned it occurred when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him.
Heard mentioned she didn't know the way it occurred however it could have been when he smashed a wall-mounted cellphone. Talking by means of sobs, she additionally informed the jury that Depp sexually assaulted her with a bottle. “I used to be scared,” she mentioned. “I had simply married him.”
Each agreed although that Depp used his bloody digit to scrawl cryptic messages on partitions, lampshades and mirrors within the residence.
3) Faeces on the mattress
Amongst many weird incidents cited in the course of the trial was a narrative about faeces deposited in the future on Depp’s aspect of the couple’s mattress.
Depp mentioned he was proven a photograph of “human faecal matter” on the mattress after he and Heard argued throughout her thirtieth party.
Heard tried in charge it on their canines, Depp mentioned, however “they’re teacup Yorkies, they weigh about 4 kilos every”.
Heard mentioned one canine had bowel issues after consuming a few of Depp’s hashish as a pet.
As for the canines, Heard accused Depp of as soon as holding one among them out of the window of a shifting automobile whereas “howling like an animal”.
The canine was unharmed.
4) The witnesses
Either side offered a number of witnesses, though rumoured testimony by billionaire Elon Musk, Heard’s ex-boyfriend, and her co-star James Franco finally didn't materialise.
However there have been superstar appearances.
Kate Moss, Depp’s former girlfriend, shot down a longstanding hearsay he had as soon as thrown the British mannequin down a flight of stairs. Moss mentioned by video hyperlink that it by no means occurred.
Actress Ellen Barkin, one other ex-girlfriend, testified Depp was jealous, controlling, and drunk “numerous the time,” and as soon as threw a wine bottle in a lodge room.
Different witnesses included bodyguards, brokers, enterprise managers, docs, buddies, relations, and even the previous doorman of the luxurious penthouse complicated the place the couple as soon as lived in Los Angeles.
Doorman Alejandro Romero in all probability spoke for a lot of concerned within the case when he mentioned: “I'm so stressed. I don’t wish to cope with this any extra.”
5) The proof
Audio and video recordings of heated, profanity-laced arguments between Depp and Heard had been entered into proof.
In a single video recorded by Heard of their kitchen, Depp is seen shouting, smashing glass cupboards and pouring himself an unlimited glass of purple wine.
Each Depp and Heard submitted photographs of accidents they claimed had been inflicted by the opposite.
Heard’s attorneys additionally offered photographs purporting to indicate Depp handed out after ingesting excessively or utilizing medication.
Textual content messages between Depp and varied folks had been displayed through which he described in crude and violent language what he want to see occur to Heard.
Depp’s attorneys downplayed the texts, saying he simply had a vibrant manner of writing, much like that of his late pal, the journalist Hunter S Thompson.
6) Depp followers
Followers of Depp queued for hours day by day to safe coveted seats within the public gallery for the trial held in Fairfax, Virginia.
Whereas the spectators largely behaved themselves, Decide Penney Azcarate threatened to expel them at one level throughout Heard’s testimony.
“If I hear yet another sound, I'll clear the gallery,” Azcarate warned. “Understood?”
Depp followers additionally waged an enormous marketing campaign on social media in assist of the actor with the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.
Heard mentioned she had obtained hundreds of demise threats. “Folks wish to kill me and so they inform me so every single day,” she mentioned.
The trial was adopted on-line by tens of millions of individuals tuning in to dwell streams. A lot of them generated memes or animated GIFs in real-time, most often lauding Depp and ridiculing Heard.
7) Broken Hollywood careers
Each Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Heard claimed their careers have been broken.
Heard, who starred in Aquaman, one of many top-grossing movies ever, mentioned she needed to battle to retain a job in Aquaman 2 and alleged that Depp tried to get Warner Brothers to chop her from the sequel.
Heard’s authorized workforce offered an leisure business skilled who estimated she has suffered $45-50m in misplaced movie and TV roles and endorsements.
An business skilled employed by Depp’s aspect mentioned he has misplaced tens of millions due to the abuse accusations, together with a $22.5m payday for a sixth Pirates instalment.
However Tracey Jacobs, Depp’s former agent, mentioned there by no means was a proper settlement for one more Pirates movie.
Jacobs additionally mentioned the actor’s star had begun to dim since 2010 due to “unprofessional behaviour” which included ingesting and drug use.
8) The decision
The jury dominated that Depp was defamed by Heard within the 2018 op-ed and awarded him greater than $10m within the lawsuit.
However the resolution was break up and so they additionally partially dominated in favour of Heard, who mentioned she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer when he known as her allegations of home abuse a hoax, and awarded her $2m in damages.
Heard mentioned she was heartbroken by the decision. “I’m much more upset with what this verdict means for different ladies. It’s a setback. It units again the clock to a time when a lady who spoke up and spoke out could possibly be publicly humiliated,’’ she mentioned in an announcement posted on her Twitter account.
In the meantime, Depp mentioned the jury “gave me my life again”.
“Six years in the past, my life, the lifetime of my kids, the lives of these closest to me, and likewise, the lives of the individuals who for a lot of, a few years have supported and believed in me had been ceaselessly modified,” the assertion added.
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