Lawyers for Johnny Depp questioned the truthfulness of Amber Heard\u2019s claim that Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle.<\/b>
\nFALLS CHURCH, Va. Lawyers for Johnny Depp on Tuesday questioned the truthfulness of Amber Heard\u2019s accusation that Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle. Heard was cross-examined for most of the day after her testimony in Depp\u2019s libel suit against her. Depp is suing Heard in Virginia\u2019s Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The describing herself as \u201ca public figure representing domestic abuse.\u201d His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name. The trial is now in its fifth week. Depp\u2019s lawyer, Camille Vasquez, questioned Heard about a variety of incidents in which she says she was assaulted by Depp. Questioning was particularly intense over a March 2015 fight the couple had in Australia, shortly after they were married, while Depp was shooting a fifth film in the \u201cPirates of the Caribbean\u201d franchise. It was during that fight that Heard says she was sexually assaulted. Depp, on the other hand, says he was the victim, and that he lost the tip of his middle finger when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him. Vasquez questioned why Heard never sought medical attention, even though she said her feet were cut by broken glass and she was bleeding after the attack.
\u201cYou\u2019re the one who assaulted someone with a bottle in Australia, isn\u2019t that right, Ms. Heard?\u201d Vasquez asked.
\u201cI didn\u2019t assault Johnny in Australia. I didn\u2019t assault Johnny ever,\u201d Heard responded. Vasquez then questioned why Heard wrote a series of love notes to Depp in the months after she said she was assaulted. Heard has said she believed Depp had hit rock bottom after the Australia fight and was committed to sobriety. She has said most of the assaults occurred while Depp was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
\u201cWhen things were good, they were really good,\u201d she said. The jury also saw a recording of a deposition Heard gave in 2016 in connection with her divorce in which she appeared to inadvertently admit that she had tipped off the celebrity news outlet TMZ to aspects of her initial divorce proceedings. Heard testified to the jury that she was taken aback when paparazzi swarmed her courthouse appearance seeking a temporary restraining order and that she tried to avoid publicity as much as possible. During the 2016 deposition, though, Heard puts hands to her lips as though she mistakenly blurted something out after she said she wanted Depp to learn of the divorce filing \u201cfrom some other source other than TMZ, which was alerted\u2026\u201d
\u201cYou slipped up there, didn\u2019t you, Ms. Heard?\u201d Vasquez asked.
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I\u2019m talking about,\u201d Heard responded. During redirect examination, Heard, said she \u201casked my team to file in the most discreet way, literally to put it under a stack of papers and file it at the end of the day so it kind of had more of a shot of being missed by the paparazzi and by TMZ.\u201d
The redirect questioning of Heard lasted only a few minutes, as Depp\u2019s lawyers objected to nearly every question that Heard\u2019s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, tried to ask. There was also testimony about Heard\u2019s $100 million counterclaim against Depp. She says she was defamed by Depp\u2019s lawyer, Adam Waldman, when he called Heard\u2019s accusations a hoax. Heard has said the accusations hurt her career, but Vasquez pointed to a series of negative articles about Heard that preceded Waldman\u2019s comments. The jury also heard an audio recording of a verbal fight between the two in which each belittled the other\u2019s acting career. Heard laughed mockingly at Depp\u2019s career-making role in the \u201980s television show \u201c21 Jump Street.\u201d
\u201cHey, at least I didn\u2019t do, like, a teeny show where I\u2019m a heartthrob. God that would be, like, embarrassing,\u201d Heard said. Depp responded with dismissive commentary about Heard\u2019s biggest film role to date, shouting \u201cAquaman!\u201d in a mocking way to denigrate the superhero film. And Heard took offense when Vasquez suggested that Heard only got the role in \u201cAquaman\u201d with Depp\u2019s help.
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d Heard said. \u201cNo, Ms. Vasquez, I got myself that role by auditioning.\u201d
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