Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s lawyers are exchanging allegations of photoshopping centering on an alleged black eye amid a trial of dueling defamation lawsuits.
Depp previously testified Heard allegedly hit him during their honeymoon, giving him a “shiner.” One of the pieces of evidence Depp pointed to in support of this was a photo of the couple and the staff of aboard the Orient Express.
However, Heard’s lawyer, Benjamin Rottenborn, submitted a subsequent photo as evidence that looked different than that which we previously saw. They looked like the same photo, but one appeared to be edited. The second photo was purportedly from The Eastern and Orient Express’s Facebook page.
Depp claimed he believed the photo in which it doesn’t look like he had a black eye was photoshopped. But Rottenborn asserted just the opposite: the black eye-looking photo was the doctored one.
Rottenborn also presented other photos from before the honeymoon that appeared to show some darkness underneath Depp’s eye. Depp appeared to argue the photo in question was the result of a shadow in that case.
Earlier in his testimony, Depp and Rottenborn also argued about whether the vodka bottle Depp claimed Heard allegedly threw at his hand in Australia appeared in a photo.
Depp also denied writing what are allegedly negative and crude text messages Depp had sent that Rottenborn brought up.
Earlier in his testimony, Depp claimed that the alleged black eye could also be seen in a photograph taken at a hotel after the Orient Express train ride in question, but still around the time of his honeymoon.
The court battle centers on an op-ed Heard wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, in which 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 are false and are referenced in the piece.
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.
While Heard maintains she was abused by Depp, Depp claims just the opposite: he was abused by her and not the other way around.