After 15 days, the Depp v. Heard trial is taking a break until May 16, 2022. Here’s a summary of every witness who’s taken the stand so far.
The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, which began on April 11, 2022 at the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia, has caught the attention of the public with several sensational revelations being made by witnesses, and by Depp and Heard themselves. On May 5, day 15 of the trial, the court adjourned for a break and won’t return again until Monday, May 16 at 9 a.m. Reflecting back on everything we’ve heard so far, here is a list of every witness, aside from Depp and Heard who’s given testimony during the trial. The first witness called to the stand by Depp’s legal team is Johnny Depp’s sister and personal manager. She testified that Depp had sworn to never repeat the actions of domestic violence. Dembrowski claimed Depp had to hide from Heard as he had done from his mother as a child. An artist and a longtime friend of Depp’s who was a neighbor of Depp and Heard during their marriage, Baruch recalled his experiences with the pair. He claimed that in May 2016, Heard told him Depp had thrown a phone at her but after looking at her face he saw no injuries. Baruch described footage of Heard and her sister Whitney laughing and throwing a fake punch. Depp’s lawyers argued this was to « feign abuse from Depp. » Eastern Columbia Building general manager Patterson appeared via video to confirm the accurcy of the approximately 80 CCTV cameras from the building. Deuters is the wife of Depp’s employee Stephen Deuters. Her testimony was ultimately struck from the record after a social media post she had posted was shared with the court, despite it being from January 2021. Heard’s friend Eve Barlow had brought the post to the attention of the court, but she was then banned by the judge for breaking the court’s no-phone policy. Heard’s former assistant James appeared in a pre-recorded deposition. She described Heard as « belligerent and abusive » and testified that Heard used psychedelic mushrooms, ecstasy and cocaine. James also described Heard as having a « kick-the-dog kind of relationship » with her own sister Whitney. Anderson, who was Depp and Heard’s therapist in 2015, claimed that there was « mutual abuse » during the pair’s marriage. She testified that Depp attempted to « de-escalate » the violence more than Heard but that they both instigated physical confrontations. Anderson believed Depp, who had never been violent with previous partners, was « triggered » by Heard who she said started fights to keep him there, rather than let him walk away to « de-escalate » a situation. Appearing in a pre-recorded deposition, Dr. Kipper testified that he has diagnosed Depp with a number of disorders including ADHD, bipolar, insomnia, substance dependence and chronic reflux. He confirmed he’d never witnessed violence between Depp and Heard but saw the aftermath of an incident at a rented house in Australia with blood and broken glass around the house. A nurse who works with Dr. Kipper claimed that Heard and Depp’s relationship was « toxic » and claimed Heard would instigate arguments with Depp. She also witnessed the aftermath of an incident in Australia in 2015 as she looked for Depp’s severed finger. She described seeing writing on the walls and a destroyed television set. Johnny Depp’s house manager endured a moment that went viral during this trial when he was asked a question by Heard’s lawyer, who appeared to object to his own question. King took the stand and said he heard « hysterical sobbing » as he entered the house in Australia in March 2015. He said he saw Depp’s doctor, Dr. David Kipper, rummaging through the bin looking for Depp’s severed finger.
