Johnny Depp accused of sexual assault ‘with bottle’ as Amber branded ‘liar’, court heard
Johnny Depp, 58, has been accused of assaulting ex-wife Amber Heard, 35, by penetrating her with a liquor bottle, while his lawyer has branded her a “compulsive liar”. Their defamation trial has got off to a grim start as he takes action against the Aquaman actress over an article she wrote in 2018.
Amber penned an op-ed in the Washington Post, in which she described being a survivor of sexual violence.
She didn’t name Johnny, who she was married to from 2015-2017, but he claims it caused him to be ostracised in Hollywood and lose out on film work.
He has asked for £38.4 million in damages, claiming the article “devastated” his career.
Meanwhile, Amber has counter-sued for £76.7 million in damages and asked for immunity from his claims.
She has accused him of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and abusing and harassing her.
Amber’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft claimed Johnny threatened to “hunt” the actress and expose her to “global humiliation” in text messages.
She has also alleged Johnny sexually assaulted Amber by penetrating her with a liquor bottle, something the actor denies and he shook his head while the claim was made in court.
Amber’s lawyers also maintain that Johnny’s reputation was already in tatters before these allegations, because of drug and alcohol abuse he has admitted to.
Johnny’s lawyer Ben Chew said in his opening statement that the Jack Sparrow actor’s name is now “associated with a lie”.
He continued: “A false allegation can devastate a career, and it can devastate a family. And the evidence will show that Ms Heard’s false allegations had a significant impact on Depp’s family and his ability to work in the profession he loved.
“Mr Depp will go to his grave knowing whatever he does that there are people out there in this world who will always believe that he abused a woman.”
Depp’s lawyer continued: “Common sense and the evidence will tell you that this is all a lie … Heard tells a lie and covers up that lie with still more lies, in a constantly changing, evolving, evermore dramatic way.
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“You will learn during the trial that Miss Heard’s accusations were prompted by Mr. Depp’s request for a divorce,” he added.
Chew also cited Johnny’s previous relationships with stars including Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis, the latter of whom he was married to for 14 years.
Both women, and others including Kate Moss, have stated he was never violent towards them.
He called Amber “deeply troubled” and claimed she terrified Johnny so much with her angry outbursts, he hid in the bathroom as she chased him, screaming – something she denies.
Amber took to social media ahead of the start of the trial, writing that she still “maintained a love” for Johnny, and hoped this case would bring them closure.
“It brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world,” she added.
Johnny lost a previous libel suit against The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater” in an article.
The court ruled the claims in the story were “substantially true”.
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