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After more than a week off, the trial in actor Johnny Depp’s defamation suit against his ex-wife Amber Heard resumed Monday.
Before the trial went on break this month, Heard was on the witness stand describing disturbing allegations of domestic violence. On Monday, Heard testified about her intentions in writing the essay at the center of the trial, an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018 in which she described surviving domestic violence — without mentioning Depp by name.
Depp’s legal team began its cross-examination of Heard on Monday, pressing her about the severity of injuries she says Depp inflicted and about her failure to fulfill her pledge in her divorce settlement to two charities.
First day of cross-examination on Heard charity contention ends
The cross-examination of Heard ended Monday after a tense exchange with Depp's attorney over her failure to fulfill her pledge in her divorce settlement to two charities.
During her testimony earlier Monday, Heard admitted that she has not yet donated the entirety of her $7 million settlement to the American Civil Liberties Union and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
She said under oath that that was because Depp filed the $50 million suit against her but that she intends to resume donations in the future.
Depp's attorney pushed her about the issue during the cross-examination, accusing her of wanting to keep some of the settlement money for herself.
"You're very wrong about that," Heard said.
Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez, said during cross-examination that the donations were an attempt by Heard to make her allegations "seem believable" and to come across as a "noble victim."
Heard denied ever wanting to be seen as or referring to herself as a victim. She also denied insinuations that she was after Depp for his wealth.
"Didn't get it, wasn't interested in it," Heard said of Depp's money. "I loved Johnny. That's why I was with him."
Court adjourned Monday after that line of questioning.
Heard says she shared photo of Depp with friend for 'support'
Camille Vasquez, Depp’s attorney, questioned Heard during cross-examination about whether she sent a photo to a friend of Depp sleeping after allegedly having consumed drugs.
Vasquez characterized a photo of Depp asleep with ice cream spilled on him as "embarrassing" and asked whether Heard had sent it to anyone. Heard initially said she couldn't recall, but then Vasquez showed a screenshot of a text message sent to Heard's best friend.
"This is what I'm dealing with," a message read.
"And this is you supporting Mr. Depp?" Vasquez asked, referring to Heard's statement that she took the photos because she was concerned for Depp.
"That is me getting support from my best friend," Heard said. "I also need support."
Vasquez then asked whether she was scared that Depp would be upset at her for sending the photo. When Heard responded that "of course" she was, Vasquez noted that it didn't stop her from sending it to her friend.
"Why would it?" Heard responded.
Vasquez moved on to a different line of questioning.
Heard calls out medical document listing her as a 'well-nourished male'
In an exchange with Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez, Heard rebutted the quality and thoroughness of a medical exam given to her at a time she claims she had sustained injuries from Depp.
"This record doesn't document any physical injuries on you, does it?" Vasquez said of the Dec. 17, 2015, document.
Heard replied she didn't believe the document showed a record of injuries but added that she hadn't spoken with the physician, Dr. David Kipper, on the day of the exam. Heard said she had gone to the office for a concussion check.
Heard said she didn't get into the specificity of her injuries or what happened to her. She said she asked only whether she needed any further diagnostics.
Vasquez said the document shows Heard's skin was deemed "in tact" at the visit, with normal color.
Heard responded, "It also says I'm a well-nourished male," referring to a spot on the document that listed Heard as "male."
"I think this medical record is missing a lot of things," Heard said.
Depp's attorney cross-examines Heard
Depp's legal team began its cross-examination of Heard on Monday afternoon, questioning her about her testimony regarding the injuries she alleges she sustained from Depp.
Depp's attorney presented Heard with numerous photos of her after incidents of alleged abuse, asking whether she could see any visible signs of injury.
"None that you can see," Heard responded multiple times.
The attorney pointed out Heard's deposition testimony stating that Depp frequently wore rings and then asked about photos after Depp allegedly hit her in the face. Heard responded that she was wearing makeup in several of the photos and that she used ice to reduce swelling from her injuries.
Depp's attorney also replayed audio in which Heard tells Depp he should tell the world that he was a domestic abuse victim and that it was a "fair fight."
"I said that to the man who beat me up, yes," Heard said. "I thought it was preposterous."
Heard was then asked, "And the man you beat up numerous times?"
"I could never hurt Johnny," Heard responded.
Heard shares how her career has been affected
Heard starred in the first installment of the “Aquaman” series alongside actor Jason Momoa, who played the title character. She also appeared in the film “Justice League.”
Her role as Mera in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" was greatly reduced, Heard said, following allegations made by Depp's former attorney, which were detailed in articles in the Daily Mail. Adam Waldman, Depp's former lawyer, had called her abuse allegations a "hoax."
"I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character, without giving any spoilers away ... they basically took a bunch out of my role," she said.
She said she has been able to work on only one small independent film called "Into the Fire" since the articles were published.
'It's torture,' Heard says of accusations she's lying
Shortly before Heard's attorneys finished questioning her, they asked her to speak about the emotional impact of the accusations from Depp's former attorney that she lied about being abused.
"It's torture. It's torturous," Heard said. "No one should have to do that. I want to move on with my life. I have a baby. I want to move on. ... I want Johnny to move on, too. I want him to leave me alone."
Heard said she is forced to relive the "painful memories" of the alleged abuse every day.
"Embarrassing, intimate details that I never wanted to be known, never wanted to be public ever, and to have them used every single day to call me a liar," Heard said. "I have to relive this every single day that I have to address those claims."
Heard addresses her countersuit
Heard’s attorneys moved to ask her to address why she asked for a countersuit after Depp filed a defamation claim against her.
The lawyer leading Heard's testimony entered Daily Mail articles into evidence that included statements from Depp's former attorney Adam Waldman calling her abuse allegations a "hoax."
"This is what I lived through, and to say that it's a hoax, that these aren't even real things," Heard said, "I mean, after everything I've lived through and everything I survived ... I hadn't even spoke about the sexual abuse within my marriage. ... I didn't want to talk about that ever."
She went on to rebut Waldman's accusations that she and her friends staged bruises and destruction in the apartment for photos that were included into evidence earlier.
Heard questioned why she would have refused to speak to police in May 2016 if her only intention was to destroy her former husband.
"I tried really hard to keep it private, even after that, even when I was committed to filing for divorce," Heard said. "I tried to protect Johnny. I tried to protect the history of what we had."
Heard testified that following the accusations that her abuse allegations were a "hoax," L'Oréal suspended an advertisement campaign she was contracted to do.
'It's not about Johnny. ... It's about me': Heard explains decision to publish op-ed
Heard explained her intention behind publishing the 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post that prompted Depp to file his defamation suit.
The essay at the center of the trial was initially drafted by the American Civil Liberties Union, for which Heard was an ambassador, as the country was discussing women's issues, Heard said.
"I was trying to raise awareness around some of the issues that I just mentioned," Heard said.
She said she was happy to weigh in on what women experience "when they come forward against somebody more powerful when they speak up about gender-based violence."
Heard said she did not want to include Depp's name in the matter. She said she sought legal advice before the essay was published and that she had not written the headlines for the essay either online or in print.
Heard had no intention of going after her ex-husband when she published the essay, she told the court.
"It's not about Johnny. The only one who thought it was about Johnny was Johnny," Heard said. "It's about me. It's about what happened to me after Johnny. It's about what happened to me after I escaped my marriage. It was about me and my life and what I endured."
Heard says Depp threatened to 'ruin' her career
On a recorded phone call around the time of their divorce, which was played for the courtroom, Heard can be heard talking to Depp about the documentation of their allegedly violent relationship.
In the recording, Heard says she has images proving either that she had “a secret fight club or that I have been plotting to do this for three years while taking pictures of this and documenting, just saving it up, for the right time when I’m asking for no money and have nothing financial to gain from it. No one is going to believe that. ... What’s the alternative?”
Heard also tells Depp that she had been called a “gold digger” and a “liar.” He responds by telling her he hadn't called her that.
On Monday, an emotional Heard said she had never wanted to be framed as a victim and never intended to go to the police. She said she asked for one thing from Depp: for him not to call her a liar.
"I didn't want this to go to a prosecutor. I didn't want this to hurt Johnny. I don't want this to hurt Johnny," Heard said of why she never filed criminal charges and never went to the police over her allegations of domestic abuse.
Heard said Depp called her a liar in the media and was “forcing” her to prove she wasn’t lying. Depp threatened to "ruin" her and said no one would ever work with her again, Heard said.
"I would be selling Depends [the adult diaper] is what he said and that he'd ruin my career," Heard recalled.
Depp has repeatedly called her a liar, she said. She said she told Depp that photos, witnesses and testimony documented the allegedly abusive relationship.
She said that she didn't want to hurt Depp but that he had, in essence, pushed her into a corner and tried to take the only thing she believed she had left.
"All I have is my integrity," she said. "All I have is my name, and that's what he agreed to take from me."
Heard accuses Depp's team of planting nasty stories about her
Heard testified that she broke the temporary restraining order she filed for in May 2016 to get Depp's team to leave her alone in the media.
She accused Depp's team of planting negative stories about her in a "smear campaign" after she filed for the order and a divorce. Heard testified that she had conversations directly with Depp about the situation.
"He told me he would tell his team to back off ... effectively if I agree to do certain things, one of which, he wanted me to, like, drop charges ... or some version of that," Heard said. "He wanted me to get back together with him and on tour with him. ... He wanted me to do certain things that I thought were impossible and that would certainly go against everything that I stood for and had earned."
She went on to say she didn't care about Depp's money, which is why she chose to donate the money from her divorce settlement, but that she wanted to stop being called a liar.
"I said this to him, too, you know. He knew this," Heard said. "All I have is my name. I come from nothing. All I have is my integrity. All I have is my name, and that's exactly what he promised to take from me."
She said she paused her donations to the American Civil Liberties Union and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles because Depp filed the $50 million suit against her. Heard said she intends to resume donations in the future.
"I never made a false claim, and I didn't do it for financial gain," Heard said. "And that's what I was being called at the time, a gold digger and a liar."