After six weeks of open war under the eyes of the whole world, the lawyers of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp present their conclusions this Friday, their last opportunity to convince the jury during the trial in Fairfax, near Washington, during which the star of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” saga is suing his ex-wife for defamation. The latter had estimated in a column published in the Washington Post in 2018 to have become “a public figure representing domestic violence”, without naming the 58-year-old actor. The latter denounces “staggering” accusations and claims 50 million dollars in damages.
As for Amber Heard, who appeared in particular in “Justice League” and “Aquaman”, she counterattacked and asked for the double. According to her, this “futile” complaint prolongs “the abuse and harassment” of her ex-husband and has put her own career on hold. This Friday, the hearing is due to start at 9 a.m. local (1 p.m. French time) and the seven jurors will retire in the afternoon to deliberate. If they do not agree on a verdict, they will return on Tuesday, Monday being a public holiday in the United States. During this resounding trial, several dozen witnesses took the stand, ranging from family and friends to psychologists and financial experts.
Many audio and video recordings revealed
In the big unpacking of the Hollywood couple’s private life, audio and video recordings have emerged, highlighting arguments where insults flare, text messages filled with insults, photos of Johnny Depp unconscious or bruises on the body and face of Amber Heard that she blames on her ex-husband. The two stars also spent several days recounting an idyll born in 2009 and which quickly turned into an ordeal, until the divorce requested by the young woman for “domestic violence” in May 2016. The divorce was pronounced in early 2017 .
The 58-year-old actor assured that he had “never (…) committed sexual violence or physical violence”. He claims – and provides audio recordings purporting to prove it – that it was his wife who was violent. Amber Heard indicates that Johnny Depp became a “monster” under the influence of an explosive cocktail of drugs and alcohol, resisting all his pleas for treatment. Johnny Depp reportedly promised her “global humiliation” if she left him and, when she did, she became the target of a social media smear campaign.
Amber Heard targeted by Johnny Depp fans
“I am harassed, humiliated, threatened every day, just because I am in this courtroom,” she said Thursday, very moved, adding that she had received “thousands” of death threats “since the beginning of this trial”. Johnny Depp can count on the support of hundreds of fans who cheer him every day since April 11 in court. The 36-year-old actress claims that she suffered violence from Johnny Depp in 2012, this violence having become more and more brutal and regular, even going as far as rape with a bottle of alcohol. alcohol, in March 2015, a month after their marriage, when the actor was filming episode 5 of “Pirates” in Australia.
VIDEO. “It’s torture”: at the helm Amber Heard begs Johnny Depp to “leave her alone”
Among the multiple testimonies taken on the stand, only two came from celebrities, namely actress Ellen Barkin, ex-girlfriend of Johnny Depp in the late 1990s, who described a man “drunk almost all the time” , jealous and possessive, and the British top model Kate Moss, another “ex” of the actor. The latter denied an old rumor that he would have one day pushed her down the stairs. In 2020, Johnny Depp had already lost a first defamation lawsuit in London, brought to the tabloid The Sun, which had called him “violent husband”.