A lawyer for Johnny Depp is explaining why the actor has been avoiding eye contact with Amber Heard while she testifies in a trial of dueling defamation lawsuits between the celebrities and ex-spouses.
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.
In what can only be described as a rather unusual line of questioning, Depp’s lawyer opened her cross-examination of Heard by asking her, “Mr. Depp hasn’t looked at you once this entire trial, has he?”
Heard acknowledged Depp has been avoiding eye contact during the trial. When asked if she knew why he won’t look at her, she said she did.
However, when the lawyer told her it was because he promised Heard she would never see his eyes again, Heard said she did not recall if he said that.
The lawyer went on to state this all happened during one of the last times Heard met with Depp, in San Francisco in 2016, after Heard effectively publicly accused Depp of domestic abuse by filing a restraining order.
The lawyer then proceeds to play an audiotape of the pair arguing.
In the tape, Heard could be heard pleading, “Please, I just wanted to hug you!”
“You will not see my eyes again!” Depp says.
Previous testimony by Heard indicated Depp had allegedly slapped and punched her on multiple occasions and twice sexually assaulted her.
While Heard maintains she was abused by Depp, Depp claims just the opposite: he was abused by her and not the other way around.
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, 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.