Amber Heard is testifying that she did indeed hit Johnny Depp at one point, but it was only in defense of her sister, amid a trial of dueling defamation lawsuits.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for defamation, for allegedly false domestic abuse accusations she made against him that he said hurt his career. Heard is counter-suing Depp, also for defamation, for $100 million.
The highly-publicized trial has been live-streamed on the Law & Crime Network YouTube channel, and other outlets, from a courtroom in Fairfax, Virginia since mid-April.
Depp’s lawyer, Camille Vasquez, questioned Heard about the details of the alleged abuse exchanged between the married couple.
While Heard maintains she’s always testified she hit Depp during one particular instance, she said she only hit him out of fear Depp would attack her sister. Heard also denied throwing things at Depp during this particular incident, despite one of Depp’s security personnel previously testifying to the contrary.
While Heard has maintained she was abused by Depp, Depp claimed just the opposite: he was abused by her and not the other way around.
Heard’s previous testimony indicated Depp had allegedly slapped and punched her on multiple occasions and twice sexually assaulted her.
In the Heard-penned 2018 Washington Post article at the center of Depp’s lawsuit, she describes herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Though Depp isn’t named in the article, Heard made prior allegations of abuse against Depp in 2016, which he claims is referenced in the piece.
Heard also has several other witnesses lined up to testify, including her sister Whitney Henriquez, actor Ellen Barkin, and Depp himself. This will be the second time Depp has taken the stand after he previously testified on behalf of himself and was cross-examined by Heard’s team.