Johnny Depp trial – live: Amber Heard defamation case to resume today after week of
Watch live as testimony continues for Johnny Depp defamation case against Amber Heard
The trial for Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against former wife, Amber Heard, is set to resume today after the third day of testimony in Virginia.
On Thursday (14 April), witness Gina Deuters, a friend of Depp, had her testimony struck from the record and was dismissed after admitting she had seen clips of the trial online. Instead video evidence from Dr David Kipper, who treated the actor for addiction, was played.
Earlier, recorded depositions were shown from Heard’s former assistant Kate James, and the couple’s marriage counsellor Dr Laurel Anderson who detailed their “mutual abuse”.
Depp claims a 2018 article about domestic violence towards women, written by Heard, implied he was an abuser during their relationship. Although she did not name him, lawyers claim her allegations have made it difficult for the actor to land movie roles.
He is asking for $50million (£38.2m) in damages during the trial in Fairfax County’s district courthouse. Heard has filed a counterclaim against Depp for nuisance.
Depp has previously lost a defamation case in the UK against The Sun newspaper over the same article by Heard.
Amber Heard supporter barred from court
Journalist Eve Barlow, Amber Heard’s friend and supporter, has been banned from the courtroom for the remainder of the trial.
She was asked to leave the courtroom in an order by Judge Penney Azcarate after an apparent request by Depp’s legal team.
Katie Davies18 April 2022 13:00
Depp’s friend ejected as witness
A friend of Johnny Depp was ejected as a witness while testifying in the defamation trial opposing Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Gina Deuters, who is married to a member of Depp’s staff and is herself a close friend of the actor’s, gave testimony on Thursday (14 April) at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia.
She answered questions about Depp’s drugs and alcohol use, telling the court she had seen him use weed and cocaine occasionally, and that she had seen him drink alcohol. Deuters testified that she had never seen Depp be violent or angry after using any substances or drinking alcohol.
At one point during her testimony, Heard’s legal team asked for permission to approach Judge Penney Azcarate. The judge conferred with the attorneys, then sent the jury out for a brief recess.
Judge Azcarate then asked Deuters: “Have you been watching the trial this past week?”
Deuters replied: “I’ve seen clips of it online, yes.”
The judge then confirmed that Deuters had watched clips of witness testimony, after which she told Deuters she was excused.
Deuters then had to leave the court, and Judge Azcarate said she would instruct the jury to strike Deuters’s testimony.
Oliver O’Connell18 April 2022 12:30
ICYMI: Marriage counselor says Depp and Heard engaged in ‘mutual abuse’
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s former marriage counselor told a courtroom the couple engaged in what she saw as “mutual abuse”.
Dr Laurel Anderson was called as a witness on Thursday (14 April) as part of the defamation trial opposing Depp and Heard in Fairfax, Virginia. She was asked about some of her past sessions with the pair.
Asked whether Heard had ever reported any physical violence by Depp to her, Dr Anderson said yes. Asked whether she had seen photos, she said she had but doesn’t remember when. Asked whether “there was violence from Mr Depp toward Amber”, she said: “Yes, you’re right.”
“He had been well controlled for, I don’t know – 20, 30 years, and both were victims of abuse in their homes, but I thought he had been well controlled for decades,” she added. “And then with Ms Heard he was triggered and they engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse.”
Clémence Michallon reports.
Oliver O’Connell18 April 2022 12:00
Amber Heard’s personal assistant says she was paid ‘very poorly’
Katherine “Kate” James has addressed the extreme working conditions she allegedly endured as a former personal assistant to Amber Heard.
During Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife on Thursday (14 April), Heard’s personal assistant answered questions – in a pre-recorded video deposition completed in February – regarding her past employment with the film star, which she said lasted from 2012 to 2015.
Oliver O’Connell18 April 2022 10:30
ICYMI – ‘The whole thing is insane’ says emotional friend in testimony
In the defamation case against Amber Heard brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, a former neighbour of the couple became emotional during extensive testimony about his friendship with the pair.
Isaac Baruch, who first met Depp as a teenager in Florida and became his longtime friend, lived in one of the five penthouse lofts at the Eastern Columbia Building in Downtown Los Angeles owned by the actor.
At one point on Wednesday, he was asked by Heard’s lawyer Elaine…
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