Celebrities

The 12 wildest moments from the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial

The 12 wildest moments from the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial
Fans gather outside courthouse for final days of Johnny Depp trial
Video

The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is finally coming to an end this week, and in the six weeks of the trial, there have been some truly standout moments.

The trial, which began on April 11, was triggered by an op-ed Heard, 36, wrote for the Washington Post in 2018. Heard alleged in the piece she was a survivor of domestic abuse and although Depp, 58, had not been named many media outlets assumed it was about him.

Heard and Depp dated from 2012 to 2015. They were married for a year until Heard filed for divorce in 2016 citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized in 2017.

After Heard's op-ed was published, Depp denied all allegations of abuse and sued Heard for $50 million citing defamation. In return, Heard is countersuing Depp for $100 million also citing defamation.

Heated exchanges between lawyers, alarming accusations, and plenty of 'hearsay' have been thrown around between Heard and Depp's teams since the trial started.

So, we've wrapped up all the standout moments from the trial.

Heard's former assistant testifies that Heard was verbally abusive

In the first week of the trial, Heard's former assistant, Kate James, testified that she experienced verbal abuse from Heard while working for her.

James described her time with Heard as "everything you could possibly do to ruin someone's life." She recounted a time when Heard allegedly spat in her face.

Depp says he saw a photo of faeces on his bed days after fight with Heard

In week two of the trial, Depp told the jury that in the days following a fight with Heard he was told by his security to avoid visiting the penthouse where Heard was staying.

Depp said that he "received some news that was as absurd and grotesque and cruel, and then I was shown a picture of what the problem was".

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor testified, "our bed and on my side of the bed was human fecal matter, so I understood why it wasn’t a good time to go down there”.

Heard denied the fecal matter belonged to her when she took the stand.

Heard admits to hitting Depp in audio recording

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments from the trial was when an audio recording of Heard played in which the Aquamanactress admitted to hitting Depp.

During week two of the trial, an audio recording was played for the jury in which Heard said, "I was hitting you it was not punching you."

In the recording, Heard told Depp "you're fine, I did not hurt you," and called him a "f***ing baby" for complaining.

Heard's lawyer questions witness about muffins

A psychologist hired by Depp's team to analyze Heard took to the stand where she and Heard's lawyer got into an exchange about muffins.

It began after Dr. Curry testified that after meeting with Heard on two separate occasions she concluded that Heard had " borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder”.

Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft proceeded to ask Dr. Curry, why her husband bought muffins for Heard, indicating Dr. Curry broke confidentially by informing her husband of her client.

Dr. Curry asked if she could clarify her statement, "so that we can stop talking about the muffins" and explained she asked her husband to pick up the muffins because she was getting ready to meet with a celebrity client but running late.

"He brought the muffins back to the house, I brought them into the office, Ms. Heard and I enjoyed the muffins together," Dr. Curry said. "I think I made a comment to her along the lines of ‘my husband got these for us today’, meaning he purchased the muffins we are now enjoying them because of him."

Depp's team fist-bumps when Heard mentions Kate Moss

Heard took the stand to testify in week four of the trial when she mentioned Depp's ex-girlfriend Moss while testifying about an alleged moment when she thought Depp would shove her sister down the stairs.

Heard said she "instantly" thought of Moss because there were allegations that Depp pushed Moss down the stairs while they were dating.

As soon as Heard mentioned Depp's ex-girlfriend, his legal team exchanged a celebratory fist bump because Heard's mention opened the door for Moss to testify.

Moss provided a three-minute deposition in which she said Depp had "never pushed, kicked or thrown" her down the stairs.

Heard provides videos and photos of Depp allegedly high or drunk

A major point in much of Heard's testimony pertained to Depp's substance abuse, which Heard says fueled the alleged abuse.

Heard provided photos of Depp covered in ice cream, passed out in various locations, and more to depict how his alleged alcohol and drug abuse affected her.

Depp has maintained he does not have an alcohol problem but admitted he had a problem with prescription pills.

Heard's attorney objects to his own question

If there's one thing viewers of the trial have learned, it's when to say 'hearsay' and 'objection.'

While Heard's house manager Ben King was testifying about an alleged incident in which Depp's finger was severed, one of Heard's attorneys, Adam Nadelhaft, called for hearsay.

“But you asked the question,” Judge Penney Azcarate responded, leading to giggles in the courtroom.

Heard shows footage of Depp hitting cabinets

Heard's team played a video of Depp angrily hitting cabinets. Heard said she filmed the incident because she was scared.

Later on, Depp spoke on the incident saying, “I did assault a couple of cabinets but didn’t assault Ms. Heard. I did not try to intimidate Ms. Heard... If she was intimidated, why was she filming? If she was scared to death, why didn’t she leave?”

Dr. David Spiegel makes odd mouth motions while testifying

Psychiatrist Dr. Spiegel was called to testify to Depp's behavior but while on the stand viewers, including Depp and his lawyer, couldn't help but notice some strange mouth movements the doctor made.

Dr. Spiegel testified that Depp showed behaviors consistent with a "perpetrator of intimate partner violence," although many criticized the psychiatrist's analysis as he had never evaluated Depp personally. This violates the American Psychiatric Association’s Goldwater Rule which states doctors should not diagnose the mental state of a public figure if they have not personally evaluated them.

Witness vapes and drives while testifying in a pre-recorded deposition

One of the oddest moments of the trial was when Bredehoft, showed Alejandro Romero's testimony in which the man vaped and drove a car while speaking on an incident involving Depp and Heard in 2016.

Romero was employed by the building where Heard and Depp lived at the time when police responded to a domestic violence call. However, whatever Romero said in the testimony was overshadowed by the bizarre testimony that was filmed in his car while he was driving and vaping.

In courtroom footage, Depp can be seen laughing at Romero's actions.

Depp fan brings emotional support alpacas to trial

Dedicated fans of Heard and Depp have dedicated the last six weeks of their lives to watching the trial unfold. From camping out to spending upwards of $30k, fans are determined to watch the case unfold.

One fan made headlines by bringing along their emotional support alpaca to cheer on Depp outside the courthouse.

Ex-TMZ employee claps back at Heard's lawyer

In the last week of the trial, Morgan Tremaine an ex-TMZ employee testified about footage pertaining to Johnny Depp forcefully hitting cabinets but got into a snappy exchange with Bredehoft in the process.

Bredehoft accused Tremaine of testifying to get his "15 minutes of fame" which Tremaine denied.

"I stand to gain nothing from this I'm actually putting myself kind of in the target of TMZ, a very litigious organization and I'm not seeking any 15 minutes here, though you're welcome to speculate," Tremaine said. "I could the same thing by taking Amber Heard as a client for you."

"Little argumentative, don't you think?" Bredehoft responded.

"Oh hardly I find that to be purely logical," Tremaine shot back.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Conversation (0)
x