It seems that Amber Heard may be about to get herself into a tight corner concerning her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp. The lawsuit has just experienced a shocking twist.
The Interesting Trial Continues, And Things Are Changing Fast
Unexpected evidence might have changed the entire direction of the trial.
Johnny Depp Has Had A Rough Time Lately
The actor found himself at the center of a highly publicized scandal in which his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Born in Kentucky, Depp has been a Hollywood heavyweight since the 90s, but the last half a decade has been marred by the scandalous accusations made against him by Heard.
Initially, Depp And Heard Seemed Like The Perfect Couple
To the world, the couple was so promising. They met on the set of The Rum Diary back in 2009.
After that, Depp started dating Heard, an actress and a model from Texas, soon after he parted ways with Vanessa Paradis.
Depp and Paradis had been together for many years.
Amber And Depp Got Engaged In 2014
After the couple got engaged in 2014, they married in February 2015.
Almost Immediately, Things Started To Go Wrong
After a worryingly short honeymoon, the world learned that Depp had injured his hand while "smashing bottles and windows" while arguing with his wife. This happened months after the couple got married.
News Of Abuse In Depp And Amber's Relationship Continued To Emerge
Due to their history together, people were not surprised to learn that Heard had filed for divorce in March 2016. The couple had been a married couple for just 15 months.
Initially, The Divorce Raised Many Questions
After media outlets got their hands on the Heard's divorce petition, they discovered that she had claimed to have decided to end the marriage due to "irreconcilable differences."
Some Months After They Split Up, Something Else Happened
Heard said that Depp had abused her before and even filed a restraining order against him.
The Accusation Was A Huge Deal
People took note of Heard's claims, and they were not going to let go of the issue even after she withdrew the case a day before the hearing could start.
The World Had Already Turned Against Depp
According to Heard, Depp had hit her severally. She went on to show a video that showed Depp throwing a glass of wine across the room in anger.
Then In 2018, She Wrote A Washington Post Article Talking About Domestic Violence
She did not directly name her ex Depp in the article. Still, she suggested that during the period they were together, she had turned into "a public figure that represented domestic abuse."
Heard argued that she then understood the contempt society has for women who speak out against domestic violence.
Amber Got A Lot Of Love And Support After The Article
Her "boldness" even managed to help her get the title of "Ambassador for Women's Issues" from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Depp Vehemently Denied All The Accusations Amber Had Made Against Him
Depp's career started to suffer due to the accusations he was facing from Heard.
Movie Roles Started Drying Up
He faced heavy criticism after playing a role in The Crimes of Grindelwald, the sequel to Fantastic Beasts by J.K Rowlings.
He Also Lost His Role As Captain Jack Sparrow In 2018
The shocking announcement that he had lost the role came four days after Heard's article. Disney made it clear that he was off the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Disney Did Not Directly Reference Heard's Accusations Against Him
Although Disney did not say that it was firing Depp due to the accusations he was facing, most people assumed that they wanted to distance themselves from the scandal. The company had made more than $4.5 billion from the Pirates movies.
However, Things Changed Without Warning
Depp claimed that he was not the abuser but the victim and filed a $50-million defamation case against Heard. He also presented evidence to support his claims.
Depp Said He Had Always Been The Victim
In his lawsuit against Heard, Depp said that her op-ed was based on the claims that he was abusing her:
"The op-ed [Heard's article] depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her."
Depp Accused Heard Of Lying
He also pointed out the different forms of abuse he had suffered while married to Heard. They included kicking, punching, and staging attacks against her.
The Allegations Are Pretty Unsettling
The lawsuit claimed that Heard hit, kicked, punched, and "repeatedly and frequently threw objects" at Depp.
Some of the things she threw at him were burning candles, television remote controls, heavy bottles, soda cans, and paint thinner cans. According to Depp, these objects "severely injured" him.
Depp Did Not Stop There
Even more damaging to Heard's credibility was the audio file Depp released in which she can be heard saying that she attacked him.
Heard Was Also Heard Taunting Him
In the audio, Heard tells the actor:
"You are such a baby. Grow the f*** up, Johnny."
The Case Was Full Of Dark Twists
Depp then sued The Sun newspaper after they wrote an article in which they called him a "wife-beater." He accused them of committing a libel.
Both Depp And Heard Were In Court In A Brutal 3-Week Trial
In court, none held back, and they both shared incriminating photos of each other. This sensationalized the case once more.
As new evidence was introduced, more allegations were being made by either party.
Depp Was Not Getting The Upper Hand
In the end, Depp lost the case.
Losing The Case Was A Massive Blow To Depp And His Career
Nevertheless, he was not about to give up that easily.
Depp Wanted To Prove The Pictures Heard Shared Were Edited
Depp claimed that the photos were edited to convince people that he was abusing her constantly. The actor pointed out that the opposite was true.
Heard Was Accused Of Editing Her Pictures
Heard allegedly edited her photos to look like she had two black eyes. She claimed to have been attacked by Depp in 2015.
Benjamin Chew, Depp's lawyer, said:
"Ms. Heard's counsel has repeatedly used these phony photographs at deposition."
Chew went on to say that the Los Angeles Police Department had disavowed the pictures previously presented in court because they did not depict what they had seen.
Police Inspections Found Out That Heard Had No Injuries On Her
Depp's lawyer added that the police had found out that there were no injuries on Heard or damage to the house as the photos suggested.
Chew explained that Heard and her friends had fabricated the photos she used to get a temporary restraining order and a $7 million divorce settlement.
Heard then went on to lie that she had given the settlement to the ACLU and children suffering from cancer at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.
The Photos Heard Presented Were Doctored
The lawyer argued that either Heard or someone else edited the photos three years later, which is something that came up as she was giving a testimony in London. However, Heard denied the allegations that the photos had been edited.
For this reason, Chew did not think that the photos she had presented in the court could be properly assessed or verified without forensic imaging.
The Court Gave Depp And His Lawyers Access To Heard's Phone Records
After the claims about the doctored photos, the court allowed Depp and his legal team to access Heard's phone records so that Brian Neumeister, a tech expert, could analyze the data.
Big Celebrities Have Also Been Embroiled In The Scandalous Trial
Nevertheless, famous people have been part of the ever-evolving scandal.
Two Of The Celebrities Allegedly Had An Affair With Heard
Elon Musk and James Franco were called to testify over their involvement with the actress. They are yet to give their testimonies.
Other Big Hollywood Stars Are Also Part Of The Case
Franco and Musk are not the only celebrities forced to be part of the defamation case.
Paul Bettany Will Also Be Depp's Witness
Bettany will be involved in the case because Heard's legal team plan on using the messages he exchanged with Depp to strengthen their case. The messages allegedly demonstrate violent language towards Heard.
Other Familiar Names Will Also Be Involved
During the trial, messages and email conversations between Heard, Jason Momoa, and James Wan will also be used.
Emails from J. K Rowling and guitarist Jack White will also be used as evidence.
Other people involved include Ellen Barkin, who will be Heard's witness. In the past, she has talked about Heard's claims.
Barkin Claimed That Heard Was "Never Enough Of A Victim"
She wrote saying that Heard was never a victim because she was not dead.
Depp Is Pursuing A Defamation Suit Against Heard For Tarnishing His Name
In return, Heard decided to have a countersuit against the actor. That is why there are so many celebrities involved in the case.
A Lot Of People Have Expressed Their Thoughts On Where They Stand In The Case
Depp had his moment on 19 April.
He denied ever hitting Heard and talked about standing up for his kids.
Depp Had An Outpouring Of Public Support
Depp went on to claim that Heard's claims that he had abused her were both heinous and disturbing.
As far as he was concerned, the accusations he was facing were "criminal acts" against him because they had no basis in the truth.
Depp Said He Had Not Struck Any Woman In His Life
He made it clear that he had never reached a point where he hit Heard or any other woman for that matter.
Depp claimed that the lack of truth in Heard's claims was the reason he felt the need to stand up, not only for himself but also for his kids.
The Allegations Affected His Children
Depp said he thought it would be terrible for his children to go to school and be confronted by their friends or other people with the People Magazine cover showing Heard with dark bruises on her face.
Despite describing himself as a "very private person," Depp said he had no option but to come out and tell the truth, which, sadly, was exposing him and his family.
Depp Said He Knew He Was Doing The Right Thing
The actor said he intended to tell the truth because he knew that was the right thing to do.
While on the witness stand, he spoke about his time with Heard. He talked about the severed finger, recordings of fights, and the incriminating text messages.
A Makeup Brand Also Came Out To "Prove" Heard Was Lying In Court
Milani, a makeup brand, came out to say that their product, which Heard claimed in court she had used to cover up her injuries, was not in production at the time she was married to Depp.
Heard's lawyer had explained that she carried one of their products all the time while she was in a relationship with Depp.
The lawyer said that Heard had the Milani Conceal + Perfect All-in-One Correcting Kit to cover up her bruises and injuries after being physically assaulted by Depp.
The abuse allegedly continued until she divorced him in 2016.
The Lawyer Showed The Product In Court
The lawyer claimed that Heard had become very good at using the product and would mix different colors on different days as the bruises developed as a way to cover them up.
Milani Spoke Out Through TikTok
Milani made it clear that the product was not available for purchase when Depp and Heard were involved.
In the video, the company said, "let the record show that our Correcting Kit launched in 2017," although the abuse claims Heard made occurred between 2014 and 2017.
The Product Could Have Been Used As An Example
It is possible that Heard's lawyer was just giving an example of a makeup type Heard used, but that is yet to be addressed. The alleged abuse dates and the time the product was launched don't add up.
People are anxiously awaiting further developments on the case.
