Making his first appearance at trial in regards to his libel lawsuit against UK-based tabloid The Sun, Johnny Depp claimed that an incident in which ex-wife Amber Heard defecated in their bed, in what the Aquaman-star allegedly called “a harmless prank,” was what ultimately sparked his decision to file for divorce.
Depp’s high-profile libel lawsuit began on July 7th, with both actors appearing before the London High Court.
Depp came in the front entrance flanked by security guards – case due to start at 1030 am pic.twitter.com/sXI2vABbd9
— Lucy Cotter (@lucycottersky) July 7, 2020
Heard, called upon as a witness for The Sun in their defense of publishing a headline labeling Depp as a “wife beater” based on Heard’s accusations against him, appeared in court but did not speak during the opening session.
The headline from 2018 read, “Potty How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
The headline has since been adjusted and now currently reads, “GONE POTTY How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film after assault claim?”
Taking the stand to defend himself from The Sun’s alleged libel, Depp denied ever physically assaulting Heard, claiming that it was “inconceivable” that he would consider such an act, as he considers the chivalry during his upbringing in the American South was “very important” to him.
Depp stated, “It is a strong and central part of my moral code that I would never strike a woman, under any circumstances, at any time. I find it simply inconceivable and it would never happen.”
His attorneys would present the court with a laundry list of alleged incidents which showed that Heard was, in fact, the abusive partner in the relationship, including Heard’s alleged throwing of a Vodka bottle at Depp, which severed his finger, and a 2014 trip on a private jet where she “repeatedly” struck her then-husband in the face during an argument.
According to Sky News’ Adele Robinson, Depp’s legal team submitted a photo showing Depp on a hospital bed with a severed finger.
Depp described the 2014 plane incident detailing that Heard pursued him as he attempted to distance himself from her.
In a written statement, Depp wrote, “Then she became physically violent and repeatedly punched me in the face. As I moved towards the back of the plane to get away from her, she followed me into the plane’s bedroom and punched me again in the face and the head.”
He added, “I pushed her away from me, onto the bed. I then grabbed a pillow and locked myself in the bathroom, where I slept for the duration of the flight.”
The most egregious incident of disrespect, revealed also as part of a written statement provided by Depp, was when Heard allegedly defecated in the bed shared by the couple. This accusation had previously cropped up in the leaked audio tapes between Depp and Heard from February.
According to Depp, when confronted about the incident, Heard initially “sought to blame our dogs” for the defecation. Yet, when Heard dismissed the defecation as “just a harmless prank,” Depp claims to have realized that “she had been responsible.”
Depp wrote, “Ms Heard confessed to our estate manager, Kevin Murphy, that leaving the faeces in the bed had been ‘just a harmless prank’, thereby effectively acknowledging that she had been responsible, whereas she had previously sought to blame our dogs.”
This incident reportedly took place following Heard’s 30th birthday party in their Los Angeles penthouse in May 2016. Depp detailed, “I understand that the following morning [after the party], Ms. Heard (or possibly one of her friends) defecated in our shared bed.”
Depp also discussed the start of his relationship with Heard.
He recalled, “She was then extremely friendly to me and keen to tell me about the break-up with her former partner that she had recently gone through.”
He added, “If I had known then what I know now, I would have seen the red flag warning signs, but I did not. She was beautiful, seemingly incredibly interested in me and my work, and I fell for it. She bombed me with what appeared to be love.”
Continuing, the actor accused Heard of having “an agenda” in dating him, “namely to get married to me in order to progress her own career and/or to benefit financially”, and explained how Heard saw him as “an easy target.”
He wrote, “It was not until much later that I understood that she had an agenda, namely to get married to me in order to progress her own career and/or to benefit financially, and she knew how to bring it about.”
Depp continued, “For example, at the time, she repeatedly told me how much she admired my films; however, later in our relationship she admitted that she had never seen any of my films. She knew what she wanted and I was an easy target.”
Reflecting upon their relationship, Depp stated that he had been “incredibly unhappy.”
He also noted that he believes that Heard “is a calculating, diagnosed borderline personality; she is sociopathic; she is a narcissist; and she is completely emotionally dishonest,” and had “come into my life to take from me anything worth taking, and then destroy what remained of it.”
Depp also claimed that a marriage counselor had informed him that Heard suffered from “borderline, toxic narcissistic personality disorder and is a sociopath”
Amber Heard’s people did issue a statement according to Sky News’ Robinson.
It reads, “Amber never asked for these proceedings to take place. Amber obtained a domestic violence restraining order against Depp back in 2016 and has tried to moved on with her life.”
The statement continued, “It is Johnny Depp who brought these proceedings against a British newspaper and has dragged her to to the UK courts to give evidence on some of the most distressing moments of her life.”
While Heard did not testify on the first day, she is expected to testify later in the trial reports Sky News’ Lucy Cotter.
The court is also expected to hear from Amber Heard as well as her friends who claim they were present when Depp was abusive
— Lucy Cotter (@lucycottersky) July 7, 2020
Among the other topics broached in the trial’s first day were Depp’s history of drug and alcohol abuse, the 1995 destruction of a hotel room by Depp and then-girlfriend Kate Moss, his supplying of Avengers: Endgame actor Paul Bettany with cocaine, and how Sir Elton John was responsible for Depp’s eventual turn to sobriety.