Editor’s Note: Some testimonials contain graphic language and descriptions of sexual and physical assaults.
The civil lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard continued on Tuesday as Heard’s legal team closed their case. The trial of Depp’s $50 million lawsuit and Heard’s $100 million counterclaim is in its sixth week.
Judge Penney Azcarate denied a motion by Depp’s attorneys to dismiss a $100 million counterclaim she filed against Depp. The counterclaim alleges that Depp’s attorney at the time, Adam Waldman, defamed Heard when he called her abuse allegations a hoax.
Azcarate said the bar for dismissing a claim before it goes to the jury is extremely high, and said there was enough evidence to allow him to move forward. She had previously ruled that Depp could be held liable for statements made by his attorney, a principle disputed by Depp’s team.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic violence.” His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though he never mentioned his name.
CBS News has confirmed that Depp’s team should call model Kate Moss, who dated Depp in the 1990s. Earlier, Heard testified that during a fight in 2015 she remembered a alleged incident of Depp pushing Moss down a flight of stairs. This opened the door for Depp’s lawyers to call Moss to the stand.
Depp has refuse he once punched Heard and said she was the aggressor in the relationship. heard has testified about more than a dozen separate instances of physical abuse she says she suffered at the hands of Depp.
Also on Tuesday, Walter Hamara, the president of DC Films, said Amber Heard lacked chemistry with ‘Aquaman’ star Jason Momoa, and the studio was considering replacing her for the blockbuster sequel, ‘Aquaman and the Realm. lost”, which should be released soon. spring.
Hamara told the court, “It’s like what makes a movie star a movie star? You know it when you see it. And the chemistry wasn’t there.”
Hamara’s testimony contrasts with Heard’s attorneys who say her role was reduced and almost completely cut from the sequel due to the public backlash to her abuse allegations against Depp.
Depp’s attorneys have also called the actor’s hand doctor, Dr. David A. Kulber, to the stand. Heard’s lawyers called a hand surgeon who had not treated Depp who testified that the star injury to his finger was unlikely to have happened as he claimed.
Wayne Dennison, Depp’s lawyer, also sought to discredit expert Dr David Spiegel, who was called by Heard’s legal team and said in earlier testimony that he had not personally spoken or assessed Depp, but that he had reviewed depositions, medical records, video and other evidence.
Dennison wondered if Spiegel could accurately assess Depp without ever having spoken to him. He also noted that the doctor called Depp an idiot in a taped deposition.
“So I think back, where did he come from Europe for a deposition, a video deposition that he gave and took one night, the night before,” Spiegel said. “And what I think I said is…if you’re doing something important for a trial that you’re involved in, I think you’d be silly to come the night before.”
Dennison also questioned why Spiegel believed Depp’s use of an earpiece on movie sets was a sign of cognitive issues.
“Maybe Hollywood stars get lines all the time through headphones. And I don’t know, you could tell,” Spiegel said. “It seemed unusual to me, if you’re doing a movie and you don’t know the lines. But like you said, I just judge, you know, what I’m doing with lectures and that would never happen.”
Although it was reported that Heard’s attorneys would call Depp as a witness on Monday, they did not. Depp’s lawyers plan to recall the star to the stand before closing arguments on Friday.
Depp and Heard have both previously testified extensively about the details of their toxic relationship.