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| Amber Heard took the witness stand for the first time in a US defamation case brought by Johnny Depp, saying the actors had a “magical” relationship until it turned violent |
Actress Amber Heard choked back tears on Wednesday as she told a Virginia jury that her ex-husband Johnny Depp slapped her when she laughed at the writing on one of his tattoos.
Heard took the witness stand for the first time in a U.S. defamation case brought by Depp, saying the actors had a โmagicalโ relationship until it turned violent.
Deppโs first physical outburst, Heard said, came after she asked what was written on one of his faded tattoos. She said he replied โwino,โ and she laughed, thinking it was a joke.
โHe slapped me across the face,โ Heard said. โI didnโt know what was going on. I just stared at him.โ
Heard said he slapped her twice more and said โyou think itโs funny, bitch?โ
Depp, 58, testified earlier in the trial that he never hit Heard and that she was the one who was the abuser in their relationship.
The star of the โPirates of the Caribbeanโ films and others is suing Heard, 36, for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse. Heard has counter-sued for $100 million, saying Depp smeared her by calling her a liar.
The case hinges on a December 2018 opinion piece she authored in the Washington Post. The article never mentioned Depp by name, but his lawyer told jurors it was clear Heard was referencing him. The coupleโs divorce was finalized in 2017 after less than two years of marriage. Read full story
Depp, once among the biggest stars in Hollywood, said he never struck Heard or any woman and that Heardโs allegations cost him โeverything.โ A new โPiratesโ movie was put on hold, and Depp was replaced in the โFantastic Beastsโ film franchise, a โHarry Potterโ spinoff.
Heardโs attorneys have argued that she told the truth and that her opinion was protected free speech under the U.S. Constitutionโs First Amendment.
A state court judge in Virginiaโs Fairfax County, outside the nationโs capital, is overseeing the trial, which is expected to last until late May.
Less than two years ago, Depp lost a libel case against The Sun, a British tabloid that labeled him a โwife beater.โ A London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.
Deppโs lawyers have said they filed the U.S. case in Fairfax County because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper is not a defendant.
REUTERS
