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Johnny Depp has won his defamation case against Amber Heard with the jury awarding him $15million, after less than three days of deliberation.
Heard was awarded $2million in compensatory damages out of the $100million she was seeking in her countersuit against her ex-husband. She was awarded zero dollars in punitive damages.
Depp was not present as he was in the UK on tour with guitar legend Jeff Beck – a source claimed it was due to ‘previously scheduled work commitments.’ Meanwhile, Heard walked into court wearing a black dress and appeared anxious. After the verdict was read out Heard briefly hugged her lawyers then exited the courtroom.
Depp’s legal team were all smiles and joined each other in a group hug of 10 people.
In a dramatic courtroom moment, the jury returned with their verdict only to be told by the judge that they hadn’t completed the paperwork properly.
The judge was handed an envelope by an officer of the court and asked the lawyers to approach for a brief discussion. Left alone, Heard looked down at the floor, lost in thought before her lawyers came back to her.
Judge Azcarate addressed the jury and said: ‘I need to give the forms back to you. When you find for a defamatory statement, one or more, you need to fill out the compensatory damages. It needs to be at least a dollar up to whatever the damages are. For punitive damages you can put a zero. I need those lines filled out. Retire back to the deliberation room and do that for me.’
The jury left as the judge told everyone not to go anywhere far, before they came back to deliver the verdict.
Before the jury came in Judge Penney Azcarate addressed the public gallery and said: ‘This is a court of law. Regardless of the verdict I will not tolerate any outbursts whatsoever.’
Amber Heard said in a statement after the verdict, ‘The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.’
The jury ruled in Johnny Depp’s favor today in his blockbuster defamation case against Amber Heard. Depp was not present as he was in the UK on tour with guitar legend Jeff Beck – a source claimed it was due to ‘previously scheduled work commitments.’ Meanwhile, Heard walked into court wearing a black dress and appeared anxious
Heard, 35, countersued for $100million claiming that Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman made defamatory statements by calling her claims a ‘hoax’
Camille Vasquez, Johnny Depp’s lawyer was all smiles while arriving at Fairfax Courthouse in Virginia awaiting on the verdict
Over six weeks at the court in Fairfax, Virginia, Depp called 38 witnesses while Heard called 24. Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 movie The Rum Diary, turning up on the red carpet together for its London premiere in 2011
The lightning-fast verdict came as the culmination of the six-week trial that was the OJ Simpson case for Generation Z: a spectacle that was chopped up and replayed on TikTok in clips that were viewed tens of millions of times.
It was the second time the former husband and wife squared off in court: Depp lost a libel case against a British newspaper at the High Court in London in 2020 where a judge ruled it was ‘substantially true’ he was a wife beater.
In the new case held in Fairfax, Virginia, Depp, 58, sued Heard for $50million claiming that she defamed him with an op-ed piece in the Washington Post in 2018 in which she claimed to be a survivor of domestic abuse.
Heard, 35, countersued for $100million claiming that Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman made defamatory statements by calling her claims a ‘hoax.’
Since the marathon trial started on April 11, Depp has called 38 witnesses while Heard’s team called 24.
Both Depp and Heard gave evidence for four days each including a forensic cross examination from the opposition lawyers – then both returned to the witness stand to testify a second time.
The jury saw dozens of texts, photos, videos, medical records and even pages from the former couple’s ‘Love Journal’ they hand wrote to each other.
The libel case was so complicated that the verdict sheet had 42 questions the jury had to answer before delivering the verdict: 24 questions for Depp’s claims and 18 for Heard’s counterclaim.
A verdict form is used to formalize the jury’s decision on the case. Spanning eight pages, it means the jury had to decide on dozens of matters before reaching their verdict.
There is also a section where they had to decide on the damages for Depp and Heard – and any punitive damages.
The court heard clips of recordings that Depp and Heard made during their arguments, some of their most intimate moments that were played back for the world years later in the most public setting imaginable.
Here DailyMail.com wraps up the sometimes explosive testimony and evidence in the case:
THE CASE
Despite the torrent of evidence about abuse from both sides, the case was actually about a far narrower issue.
For Depp’s $50million claim, the jury had to decide whether or not Heard had defamed him with her piece in the Washington Post that said she was a survivor of domestic abuse. The article did not name Depp, but he argued that it was obvious that she was referring to him.
Depp sued over three parts of the article, which said: ‘I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath’; that Heard was a ‘public figure representing domestic abuse’ and that she had a ‘rare vantage point of seeing how institutions protect men accused of abuse.’
As part of this, the jury had to decide whether or not Heard was speaking about a matter of ‘public concern.’ If so she was protected under the First Amendment.
For Heard’s counterclaim, which she demanded $100million for, she claimed that Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman defamed her with three statements he made to the media in 2020.
They were that Heard ‘used fake sexual violence allegations as sword and shield’; ‘this was an ambush, a hoax…Amber and her friends spilled a little wine, roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911’ and another statement calling her claims an ‘abuse hoax. In both cases each party had to prove that the statements were made with ‘actual malice’, meaning they were done knowing they were wrong.
After six weeks, the blockbuster defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has ended
DEPP’S TESTIMONY
Speaking in a halting, rambling voice, Depp portrayed himself as a ‘Southern gentleman’ who was scarred from his upbringing in Kentucky at the hands of an abusive mother.
He said that Heard’s claims of abuse were ‘heinous and disturbing’ and were ‘not based in any species of truth.’
When Heard filed for a restraining order in 2016 following their divorce, Depp went from ‘Cinderella to Quasimodo’ in Hollywood, he complained.
Like with his mother, Depp would try to walk away from conflict but she never let him.
While Depp admitted he did have a ‘monster’ inside of him that came out when he drank and did drugs, he claimed Heard was the real abuser.
Depp said that at the beginning of their relationship Heard felt ‘too good to be true’ but then she started to ‘reveal herself’.
She subjected him to an ‘endless parade of insults’ and uncontrolled rage and, as Depp told the jury: ‘I was not allowed to be right. I was not allowed to have a voice.
‘It was like you were pinned to a wall and you have to just listen to it and take it.’
According to Depp, it felt like he was reliving his relationship with his mother all over again, and Heard had a ‘pure hatred’ of him.
Depp said that Heard had a ‘need for conflict’ that she enacted upon him.
He stayed with her because Heard threatened to kill herself if she left him and, just like his father, he became stoic in the face of a volatile woman.
The abuse culminated in the incident in Australia where Depp claimed that Heard became ‘possessed’ and threw a vodka bottle at him, hitting his hand and severing his fingertip.
Johnny Depp took the stand in his blockbuster $100million defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard
Depp detailed the explosive fight he and Amber Heard had in March 2015 in Australia where the top of his finger was severed when Heard allegedly threw a bottle of vodka at him
‘She threw the large bottle and it made contact and shattered everywhere and I honestly didn’t feel the pain at first at all, I felt no pain,’ Depp said
While Depp admitted he did have a ‘monster’ inside of him that came out when he did drink and drugs but claimed Heard was the real abuser
Under cross examination Depp was forced to explain horrific texts to the British actor Paul Bettany in which he wrote: ‘Let’s Burn Amber.’ In another message Depp said: ‘I will f**k her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she is dead
He told the jury: ‘My hand is on the edge of the bar like that, leaning over.
‘She threw the large bottle and it made contact and shattered everywhere and I honestly didn’t feel the pain at first at all, I felt no pain.
‘What I felt was heat and I felt as if something were dripping down my hand and then I looked down and realized that the tip of my finger had been severed. I was looking directly at my bone sticking out.’
Then Heard stubbed a cigarette out on Depp’s face, he claimed.
Under cross examination Depp was interrogated about texts, videos and photos which showed him to be the aggressor.
He was confronted with messages he sent to his friend, the British actor Paul Bettany in which Depp wrote: ‘Let’s Burn Amber.’
In another message Depp said: ‘I will f**k her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she is dead.
Heard’s lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn said: ‘You wrote that about the woman who would later become your wife.’
Depp said: ‘Yes.’
In a message to another friend, Depp said he wanted to see Heard’s ‘rotting corpse decomposing in the f**king trunk of a Honda Civic.’
To his agent Christian Carino Depp said that Heard will ‘hit the wall hard’ and he hoped ‘karma takes the gift of breath from her.’
Depp tried to explain such messages as ‘dark humor’ that he got from watching the British TV comedy show Monty Python.
Then there was the 2014 flight from Boston to Los Angeles where Heard claimed that Depp was drunk and abusive before blacking out.
The court heard an audio recording of Depp groaning ‘like an animal’ after he passed out.
A week after the flight, Depp texted Bettany: ‘Ugly mate… A thousand Red Bull and vodkas, pills, two bottles of champers on plane and what do you get? Screaming obscenities and insulting any f**k who got near. I’m done.’
The court was also shown a video of Depp smashing up the kitchen of his home in Los Angeles while drinking what was described as a ‘mega pint’ of wine.
Depp says in the film: ‘You want to see crazy? I’ll give you crazy.’
Trying to explain his actions, Depp said: ‘I did assault a couple of cabinets but I did not touch Miss Heard.’
As the cross examination went on, Depp grew tired of Rottenborn, saying his name out loud with an emphasis on ‘rotten.’
Depp tried to defuse the tension with humor and, asked if he usually drank whiskey in the mornings, Depp said: ‘Isn’t it happy hour any time?’
The only time Depp truly became emotional was when the jury heard an audio recording of one of his last fights with Heard, after they had divorced and were attempting to reconcile where he repeatedly asked her to cut him with a knife.
HEARD’S TESTIMONY
Amber Heard told the jury how she went from feeling like the ‘luckiest woman in the world’ when she and Depp began seeing each other in 2012 to being called a ‘c**t’ on an almost daily basis.
In emotional testimony, she described Depp as a violent and jealous man who would essentially veto films she wanted to do because he didn’t want her exposing her body on camera.
And she sobbed as she described in graphic detail how Depp sexually assaulted her with a bottle in Australia in March 2015, one of a litany of shocking claims.
The incident happened during what Heard called a ‘three-day hostage situation’ when Depp was out of his mind on ecstasy pills and cocaine and supposed to be filming Pirates of the Caribbean 5.
As Heard described it, she felt a pressure against her pubic bone and recalled fearing he was using a broken bottle inside of her.
She said: ‘I thought he was punching me, I felt this pressure on my pubic bone…I remember looking around the room. I remember looking at all the broken bottles, broken glass, and I remember just not wanting to move because I didn’t know if it was broken or if the bottle he had inside of me was broken.’
Heard described what was dubbed the ‘cavity search’ incident. when she testified Depp reached into her vagina searching for cocaine and the time he headbutted her leaving her with a suspected broken nose.
Amber Heard told the jury she went from feeling like the ‘luckiest woman in the world’ when she and Depp began seeing each other in 2012 to being called a ‘c**t’ on a near daily basis
Heard claimed that during the fight in December 2015 Depp headbutted her and beat her so badly she thought she would die. These photos of Heard’s bruised face were submitted into evidence
Heard was asked how Depp’s statements and threats have continued to manifest today. ‘In the harassment the humiliation, the campaign against me that’s echoed every single day on social media and now in cameras in this room. Every single day I live this trauma’
Heard described another sexual assault on Depp’s private island in The Bahamas in December 2015 and claimed he was drunk in front of his children.
As Heard described it, she tried to get Depp to quit drinking and taking drugs but the ‘monster’ inside of him kept coming back.
She hit out at the online hate mob of trolls who said they wanted to put her baby in the microwave.
Heard said: ‘It’s easy to forget, I’m a person.’
Under cross examination Heard admitted that she had not donated her $7million divorce settlement to charity as she repeatedly claimed, including during the libel trial in the UK in 2020.
Heard tried to claim that she saw the words ‘pledge’ and ‘donate’ as the same and claimed she had spent $6million on legal fees, meaning she was unable to fulfill her promises.
She was also forced to explain an audio recording where she admitted to hitting Depp but denied punching him.
Her clash with Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez was lauded by Depp’s fans online who dubbed the attorney ‘Queen Camille.’
KATE MOSS AND ELLEN BARKIN: THE CELEBRITY WITNESSES
Kate Moss was called as a surprise last minute witness by Depp’s team. Over three minutes of testimony from her home in the English countryside, Moss denied a rumor cited by Heard that Depp once pushed her down the stairs while they were vacationing in Jamaica during the time they dated between 1994-1998.
In fact, he came to her aide and helped her get medical attention, Moss said.
Moss’s evidence was cited by Depp’s lawyer Benjamin Chew as proof the case was ‘MeToo without MeToo’ as not even Moss accused him of abuse.
But testifying for Heard, actress Ellen Barkin testified that Depp threw a bottle of wine at her and she called him a ‘controlling, jealous man.’
She said: ‘I had a scratch on my back once that got him very, very angry because he he insisted it came from having sex with a person who wasn’t him.’
Kate Moss told Johnny Depp ‘s $100million defamation trial that he never pushed her down the stairs
Actress Ellen Barkin told Johnny Depp’s defamation trial that he once threw a bottle of wine at her and called him a ‘controlling, jealous man’
KEY WITNESSES
While Depp relied on a number of his employees to make his case, Heard turned to friends and witnesses to argue hers.
Depp’s 38 witnesses ranged from his sister to his security guards, his chauffeur and a senior Warner Bros executive.
Heard’s 24 witnesses included her sister Whitney and her former best friend Rocky Pennington who both detailed seeing incidents where Depp was violent and abusive.
Both sides called dueling experts on several areas of the case.
A photography expert called by Depp’s side claimed that the images of Heard’s face with injuries could have been faked. Not so, said the equivalent expert from team Heard – they were authentic.
There were conflicting accounts of how much damage the claims had done to each side’s career with Depp’s financial damages expert arguing he had lost $40million in acting roles after her op-ed was published.
A Hollywood industry expert hired by Heard’s lawyers argued she lost as much as $50million from Depp’s claims against her.
The division even extended to Heard’s mental state.
Depp called Dr. Sharon Curry (right), a clinical and forensic psychologist, who diagnosed Heard with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder and said she suffered from violent mood swings. Heard’s equivalent expert, Dr. Dawn Hughes (left) rejected this and said that Heard had a clear cut case of PTSD from her years of trauma
Walter Hamada, President of DC-Based Film Production, Warner Bros. Pictures, testified via video deposition and denied that Heard’s compensation was affected by anything said by Depp or his lawyer Adam Waldman
Depp called Dr. Sharon Curry, a clinical and forensic psychologist, who diagnosed Heard with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder and said she suffered from violent mood swings.
Under questioning from one of Depp’s lawyers, Hamada denied Heard’s claims her character, Mera, saw its role reduced dramatically including having an action scene taken away from her
Heard’s equivalent expert, Dr. Dawn Hughes, rejected this and said that Heard had a clear cut case of PTSD from her years of trauma.
One of the few unbiased observers called to give evidence was Laurel Anderson, a marriage counselor who treated Depp and Heard.
She told the court that they engaged in ‘mutual abuse’ and that Heard ‘fought as hard’ as Depp did.
Dr. Anderson said that Depp was ‘triggered’ into acting out his abusive upbringing by Heard’s violence.
Heard would initiate fights with Depp rather than have him walk away because ‘abandonment was her worst nightmare
Another key witness was Walter Hamada, the President of DC Comics film production for Warner Bros.
He denied that the studio was considering paying Heard more for Aquaman 2 because a ‘big part of our philosophy’ was to hold actors to their original agreements.
Heard’s legal team claimed she could have renegotiated her fee from $2million for the first Aquaman movie to $6million for the second one.
Hamada also denied Heard’s claims that her character, Mera’s role was being dramatically reduced with an action scene taken away from her.
In his evidence the ACLU’s general counsel, Terence Dougherty, admitted that the civil rights organization drew up the first draft of Heard’s op-ed.
Dougherty also admitted that the piece was timed to coincide with the release of Aquaman to leverage publicity for the film to have as much impact as possible.
THE POOP INCIDENT
After a fight in April 2016, Depp and Heard didn’t see each other for a month – but Depp claimed that Heard left him a surprise.
He told the court he found a poop in the bed of the penthouse they shared in Los Angeles and he thought it was disgusting.
Depp’s chauffeur Starling Jenkins claimed that Heard once told him it was a ‘horrible prank that went wrong.’
In her testimony Heard suggested that it was one of their Yorkshire terriers, Boo, that did the dirty deed, telling the court that the animal had ‘eaten Johnny’s weed as a puppy and had bowel control issues for life.’
Heard said that Boo and their other dog, Pistol, would sleep in their bed so Boo wouldn’t have to get up in the night and possibly do his business on the floor.
Depp told the court he found a poop in the bed of the penthouse the shared in Los Angeles and that he thought it was disgusting when he found it. Heard suggested that it was one of their Yorkshire terriers, Boo, that did it, telling the court that the animal had ‘eaten Johnny’s weed as a puppy and had bowel control issues for life’
Heard said that while packing to go away to the Coachella music festival, she left Boo in the bed, which appears to have been when the feces incident occurred
She said that while packing to go away to the Coachella music festival, Heard left Boo in the bed which appears to have been when the poop occurred.
Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft asked Heard: ‘Did you commit any kind of prank?’
Heard said: ‘Absolutely not. First of all I don’t think that’s funny. I don’t know what grown woman does.
‘I was not in a pranking mood. My life was falling apart. I was at a crossroads in my life and I’d just been attacked on my 30th birthday by my violent husband with whom I was in love.
‘I don’t think that’s funny, period. That’s disgusting.’
In his testimony, Depp said: ‘My initial response to that was, I mean I laughed. It was so outside, it was so bizarre and so grotesque that I could only laugh.’
ELON MUSK AND JAMES FRANCO: THE LOVE INTERESTS
Both men were on Heard’s list of potential witnesses and while neither was called, the trial did get an insight into their relationships with her.
The court heard that Depp ‘hated’ Franco and was jealous of him after he and Heard starred together in the movie ‘Pineapple Express.’
The jury was shown a video of Franco putting his head on Heard’s shoulder the night after her last fight with Depp.
Heard testified that she met Musk at the Met Gala in 2016 and thought he was a ‘real gentleman.’
They dated for a year but when they broke up a friend texted Heard that she never really loved him.
Musk donated $500,000 to the ACLU on behalf of Heard which she claimed was not part of the $3.5million she planned to give to the civil rights organization.
Depp’s jealousy towards Franco was said to be the reason why he flew into a rage on board the Boston to Los Angeles flight when he allegedly kicked Heard in the back.
Heard recounted the incident with a sigh and said that Depp’s jealousy towards Franco was a ‘nightmare.’
Depp ‘hated, hated’ Franco even though she did not have an affair with him, Heard said.
On the plane Depp asked his wife: ‘Did he slip a tongue in’, referring to Franco and asked her ‘how much you liked it.’
She said: ‘He called me a go-getter, he called me a slut – this is happening with security and his assistants on the plane. I struggle to be able to tell you how embarrassed I was.’
The text Depp sent to Bettany saying ‘let’s burn Amber’ was because he suspected she was having an affair with Franco, the jury was told.
The court heard that Depp ‘hated’ Franco and was jealous of him after he and Heard starred together in the movie ‘Pineapple Express’
Heard claimed that Franco’s visit on May 22, 2016 – after Depp threw a phone at her face – was because he was a friend and because he lived next door. The footage shows them standing in the elevator together when Franco affectionately puts his head on Heard’s shoulder
Heard began dating Tesla founder Elon Musk around the time of her split with Depp in May 2016 and by August the following year they had broken up
Heard claimed that Franco’s visit on May 22, 2016 – after Depp threw a phone at her face – was because he was a friend and because he lived next door.
The footage shows them standing in the elevator together when Franco affectionately puts his head on Heard’s shoulder.
The trial heard that Depp suspected Heard was seeing Elon Musk before they split up in May 2016, claims that Heard denied – she said they got together immediately after the breakup.
Depp’s friend Isaac Baruch, who lived across the hall from Heard’s penthouse in Los Angeles, saw Musk twice at Heard’s apartment later in the summer of 2016.
One time he was looking out his window when he saw Musk ‘going through the balcony door’ to Heard’s apartment, Baruch told the court.
Heard and Musk dated until August the following year when she wrote to a friend that ‘yet again a man lets me fall on the spikes by myself.’
The friend, talent agent Christian Carino, wrote back: ‘You weren’t in love with him. You told me 1,000 times you were just feeling space.
Heard replied: ‘I know but I wanted time to grieve and recover in my own time.’
In her testimony, Heard told the court that on May 2, 2016 she went to the Met Gala without Depp. The former couple were invited by the designer Ralph Lauren and Heard ‘went by myself’ because Depp ‘effectively stood me up on the (red) carpet.’
Heard said that while waiting to go in she met a man called ‘Elon’ who she later realized was Elon Musk.
The arrivals of both parties became a spectacle as well with Depp rolling up in a large SUV to dozens of female fans screaming ‘Johnny!’ at the gates of the court
Depp’s fans swamped social media with #justiceforjohnny trending repeatedly, as did #amberturd
Depp often waved and blew kisses to her adoring fans who lined up outside the courthouse as he came and went
Onlookers at the courthouse gave a ‘thumbs down’ and jeered as Amber Heard left the courtroom
Spectators who nabbed seats inside the courtroom are seen waving to Depp after closing arguments Friday. He often waved back
THE SIDE SHOW
Depp’s lawyers successfully argued for the trial to be televised, turning it into an international circus.
Millions of people tuned in every day on YouTube channels streaming it live and Court TV covered the case from gavel to gavel.
A cottage industry of commentators sprung up around the trial with YouTube channels offering legal analysis.
The trial went on so long it sank into the public consciousness and was even parodied on Saturday Night Live.
The arrivals of both parties became a spectacle as well with Depp rolling up in a large SUV to dozens of female fans screaming ‘Johnny!’ at the gates of the court.
Depp and Heard were under orders from the judge not to sign autographs but Depp waved at crowd, cracking jokes about having bought them all waffles.
Depp’s music choice in his car as he arrived each day gave an insight into his mindset and a frequently blasting ‘War’ by Bob Marley.
Depp and Heard’s fashion choices became a subject of debate as well: he favored tailored three piece suits in gray or blue while she favored muted tones and 1930s style up-do hairstyles
On the first day of the trial – on April 11 – Depp was seen wearing a Gucci tie, which had a bumblebee on it (left). And two days later – on April 13 – Heard sported a very similar tie, which also had a bee pin on it (right)
People have also pointed out that Depp donned a gray suit for the first day of the trial on April 11 (left), and Heard was then seen wearing a pants and shirt combo of the same color to the courthouse on April 12 (right)
Heard was accused of copying Depp’s courtroom outfits, with social media users pointing out multiple similarities between their ensembles.
On the first day of the trial, on April 11, Depp was seen wearing a Gucci tie, which had a bumblebee on it. And two days later, on April 13, Heard sported a very similar tie, which also had a bee on it.
People have also pointed out that Depp donned a gray suit for the first day of the trial, and Heard was then seen wearing a pants and shirt combo of the same color to the courthouse on April 12.
Then, on April 18, Depp showed up to court with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail. The next day, on April 19, Heard had her long locks styled in a similar way – and many people thought it was not a coincidence.
While Heard took notes or remained impassive, Depp was seen eating candy and doodling sketches in a notebook.
On the Monday of the last week of the trial a woman was removed from the courtroom after holding up a baby and yelling, ‘Johnny I love you, this baby is yours.’
The woman shouted: ‘Our souls are connected!’
Depp waved back at the woman who was escorted out.
Depp’s fans swamped social media with #justiceforjohnny trending repeatedly, as did #amberturd.
Depp’s fans were sent into a frenzy over his lawyer Camille Vasquez who became the star of the trial after she cross examined Amber Heard. There was speculation Vasquez and Depp were dating
Depp gave his attorney Vasquez a hug after she spoke during rebuttal of closing arguments on Friday
Vasquez, 37, from Los Angeles-based Brown Rudnick, is a specialist in litigation and defamation and is one of several lawyers in court
For Depp’s $50million claim, the jury had to decide whether or not Heard had defamed him with a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post which said she was a survivor of domestic abuse. The article did not name Depp, but he argued that it was obvious that she was referring to him
CAMILLE VASQUEZ
Depp’s fans were sent into a frenzy over his lawyer who cross examined Amber Heard and was so close to him it sparked speculation they were dating.
Camille Vasquez won over Depp’s supporters with her brutal interrogation of Heard which became an exercise in snark and sarcasm.
Vasquez grilled Heard on each of the incidents she testified that Depp was the aggressor, picking holes in her story aggressively and mercilessly.
Why, Vasquez wanted to know, did Heard buy Depp a knife with the inscription ‘Until Death’ if he was so abusive towards her?
Why didn’t Heard take any photos of her injuries after the Australia incident, even though she took plenty of pictures of the damage to the house they were renting?
At one point Vasquez asked: ‘You haven’t been able to move on with your life, have you?’
While asking why she took photos of Depp passed out, including one where he dropped ice cream on his crotch, Vasquez said: ‘You really like taking pictures of Mr. Depp while he’s sleeping?’
Another time Vasquez needled Heard and told her that ‘you wanted to be seen as a noble victim of domestic violence.’
Heard became emotional and said that she ‘never’ wanted to be seen as a victim.
During one especially blunt moment, Vasquez said: ‘Mr. Depp is your victim isn’t he? And once he left you you continued to abuse him by calling him an abuser?’
The most intense exchange was over Heard’s failure to donate her $7million divorce settlement to charity as she has repeatedly claimed to have done.
Vasquez said: ‘Sitting here today you have not donated $7million, donated your divorce settlement to charity?’
In response Heard said: ‘I use pledge and donate synonyms with one another.’
In her summing up for the case, Vasquez said: ‘There is an abuser in this courtroom but it’s not Mr. Depp. There’s a victim of abuse in this court but it’s not Miss Heard’.
If Heard was lying then she was a woman who was prepared to ‘say anything,’ Vasquez told the jury.
Vasquez, 37, from Los Angeles-based Brown Rudnick, is a specialist in litigation and defamation and one of eight lawyers on Depp’s team.
In court she was seen hugging Depp, who responded by hugging her back, patting her shoulders and at one point patting the back of her head.
But according to reports Vasquez had merely grown close to Depp while they have been working on the trial, which is now in its fifth week.
She has been seeing a British real estate agent for several months and is not interested in Depp romantically.
Johnny’s vaping doorman, four minutes of Kate Moss, Amber recoiling from her ex and the lawyer who objected to his OWN question: Ten videos that captured the drama of $100m Depp v Heard trial
It’s the bitter $100million defamation trial that has captivated millions around the world as two Hollywood stars battle it out live on camera.
Day after day of courtroom drama has been filmed as Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp sues his ex-wife Amber Heard over her claims she is a domestic abuse survivor.
It has ranged from farcical scenes – with Heard’s lawyer at one point objecting to his own question and Depp’s doorman vaping during his deposition – to emotional testimony given by Heard alleging in graphic detail that her ex-husband sexually abused her.
Depp, 58, sued Heard, 36, for $50million because she described herself in a Washington Post article as a ‘public figure representing domestic abuse.’
Aquaman actress Heard counter-sued for $100million because she said Depp defamed her when his lawyers called her claims a ‘sexual violence hoax’ and ‘fake.’
Here, MailOnline compiles ten videos that capture some of the most dramatic moments from the Virginia trial…
Amber Heard lawyer objecting his own question
It’s never a good sign when you get the rules of the game wrong. Even worse when you’re a lawyer in one of the biggest court cases of the day.
It was the embarrassing position Adam Nadelhaft found himself in after he objected to his own question, leading Judge Penney Azcarate to call him out on the error as the world watched on.
Depp and his lawyer seemed to giggled after the incident in the courtroom.
However, it was just the first of many oddities during the trial, which has lasted seven weeks.
Heard’s lawyer Adam Nadelhaft got in a spot of trouble when he objected to his own question
Johnny Depp on fingertip that was chopped off: ‘I miss it’
It started off as a simple recounting of the facts and ended with a melancholic murmur about the fingertip Depp alleges Heard chopped off.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star said: ‘She had thrown a bottle of vodka and cut my finger off. The tip of my finger. A good chunk.’
‘I miss it,’ he added, with a brief smile.
Actor Johnny Depp displays the middle finger of his hand, injured while he and his ex-wife Amber Heard were in Australia in 2015
Moment officials stop Johnny Depp from walking near Amber Heard
Depp has played a number of visually disturbing characters, from the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland to Edward Scissorhands in the Tim Burton movie of the same name.
But perhaps none were as shocking to Amber Heard, who recoiled at the prospect of her former husband coming within a few meters of her in court.
The Aquaman star stepped back as Depp approached in his sunglasses and suit, only for court officials to raise their hands and usher him away.
Amber Heard recoiled at the prospect of her former husband coming within a few meters of her in court
Kate Moss testifies Depp never pushed her down any stairs
There was always the possibility for a slew of celebrities to appear in the case and Kate Moss’s testimony garnered attention across the world.
After she spoke, Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez brutally cross-examined Heard.
Vasquez asked Heard Thursday: ‘When you told this jury you punched Mr. Depp because you thought of Mr. Depp pushing Kate Moss down the stairs, you didn’t expect Miss Moss to testify that never happened?’
Heard replied: ‘Incorrect, I knew how many people will come out of the woodwork to support Johnny.
‘I had heard that rumor from multiple people. Of course that’s what flashed through my head when my violent husband not only swung for me but all of a sudden swung for my sister.’
Heard was pressed about why so many other people came out and testified for Depp.
She said: ‘I know how many people will come out and say whatever for him. That’s his power. That’s why I wrote that op-ed. He is a very powerful man and people love currying favor with powerful men.’
British supermodel and Johnny Depp’s ex Kate Moss testified that Depp did NOT push her down the stairs during a trip in Jamaica
Amber says Depp did a ‘cavity search’ on her looking for cocaine
Heard gave emotional testimony about Depp’s alleged abuse while he was high on drugs and searching for cocaine.
Her voice trembling throughout, Heard said Depp was hunting for cocaine when he tore away the top part of her pink dress, grabbed her breasts and touched her thighs.
She said he had accused her of hiding his drugs. Heard, who was visibly emotional, said the multi-millionaire actor then ripped off her underwear and ‘shoved his fingers inside’ her for a ‘cavity search.’
Heard was visibly emotional as she described how Depp allegedly ‘shoved his fingers inside’ her after he ripped off her underwear while looking for cocaine
Depp’s SUV blaring out Bob Marley’s ‘Exodus’ in court parking lot
Depp created a stir when he arrived at Fairfax County Court, Virginia, on April 27 in a black SUV that was blaring out Bob Marley’s Exodus.
Looking directly at the camera filming him he said he was going ‘back in the little room again.’
He then waved to and thanked his adoring fans, who were shouting that they loved him.
Depp is seen holding his notebook up to his face as he entered court Wednesday. The notebook appears to be stuffed with papers
While in the courtroom, the 58-year-old actor has been seen doodling between testimony with a purple marker
Depp appears to keep a supply of jelly beans and mints on hand, next to his large tumbler filled with black coffee
Throughout the trial Depp appears to have a few quirks to keep him sane, including carrying a lucky $2 bill
Johnny Depp and Camille Vasquez get tactile in the courtroom
Lawyers aren’t known for being particularly touchy-feely but that hasn’t stopped Depp, 58, and his attorney Camille Vasquez, 38, from getting tactile with each other.
Viewers have pointed out that Depp is enjoying a ‘special relationship’ with Vasquez, who is 20 years his junior.
Yet while rumors swirl around Vasquez’s relationship with her client, she hasn’t taken her eye off the ball and instead has garnered quite a reputation after she eviscerated Heard on the stand.
Using ‘eye contact and charm’: A body language expert said Depp displays warm behavior with Vasquez’
Lawyers aren’t known for being particularly touchy-feely but that hasn’t stopped Depp, 58, and his attorney Camille Vasquez, 38, from getting tactile with each other
The body language expert said Vasquez’s ‘flirtatious’ behavior is likely a very conscious tactic to try and boost her client’s case, explaining that the romantic gestures between them are helping Depp appear more likeable
Body language expert Judi James analyzed the non-verbal relationship between Depp, 58, and his lawyer Vasquez, 38, in the courtroom during his $100 million defamation case against ex-wife Heard, 36
Johnny Depp’s doorman VAPES and drives off during deposition
Footage of the trial that immediately went viral was Johnny Depp’s doorman Alejandro Romero giving a ‘bizarre’ deposition that was pre-recorded on a cell phone from his car.
At one point Romero could be seen blowing smoke out his nose having apparently just taken a drag from a vaping device.
Losing patience he began to drive around, still talking to one of Heard’s lawyers on his phone, which was stuck on his dashboard.
Depp cracked up with laughter as Romero described how Amber Heard asked him to investigate an intruder due to scratches on their front door – which were caused by the dog.
After the deposition, Judge Azcarate laughed and said: ‘I’ve seen a lot of things but I’ve never seen that.’
At one point Romero could be seen blowing smoke out his nose having apparently just taken a hit from a vaping device. Losing patience he began to drive around, still talking to one of Heard’s lawyers on his phone which was stuck on his dashboard
He also spoke of his frustration at having to speak to the lawyers. He said: ‘Ugh. I’m so stressed out because of this, I don’t want to deal with this any more’
Why Johnny Depp refuses to make eye contact with Amber Heard
In another bizarre turn of events, Depp’s lawyers revealed the Pirates of the Caribbean star vowed Heard would not see his eyes again.
His attorneys played a recording of the troubled couple arguing in which Depp told Heard: ‘You will not see my eyes again.’
Camille Vasquez said this was the reason Depp had avoided eye contact with Heard for the entirety of the trial.
She said he was fulfilling a promise to Heard after the actress accused him of being an abuser.
In another bizarre turn of events, Depp’s lawyers revealed the Pirates of the Caribbean star vowed Heard would not see his eyes again. Camille Vasquez said this was the reason Depp had avoided eye contact with Heard for the entirety of the trial
Depp’s lawyer relentlessly objects leaving Amber’s lawyer floundering
Again Camille Vasquez showed her legal flare, this time objecting to Heard’s own lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, 11 times until the attorney huffed and admitted she had no more questions to ask.
It led to Bredehoft receiving sympathy from Johnny Depp supporters who claim the actress’ lawyer looks ‘drained’It came amid reports that Heard has had screaming matches with her legal team outside the courtroom, allegedly furious they have not done a thorough job in shielding her public image.
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