Johnny Depp’s slander case against Amber Heard goes into its fourth week

Depp is suing Heard, his ex-wife, for $ 50 million over a 2018 assignment she wrote for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Although Depp was not mentioned in the article, he claims it cost him lucrative acting roles.

Depp says he is a victim of domestic abuse

Depp ended his fourth and final day with testimony in the trial on Monday. Jessica Meyers Depp’s lawyer played a 2016 recording of a conversation between the former couple, in which Heard expressed concern about regaining his reputation after press reports of abuse in their relationship.

“What did you say in response when Mrs Heard said, ‘Tell the world, Johnny. Tell them, Johnny Depp, I, Johnny Depp, a man, I’m also a victim of domestic violence’?” Meyers asked Depp.

Courtroom sketches

All week, the former “Pirates of the Caribbean” star was seen tingling during the breaks.

Depp was seen drawing with pink and purple markers at one point. In another moment, he drew a sketch on a Post-it note and shared it with his lawyer.

‘Bizarre’ testimony

Heard’s lawyer called it “bizarre.

Judge Penney Azcarate called the moment a “first”.

“I just have to say, I’ve never seen it before. I’ve seen a lot of things, but I’ve never seen it,” Judge Azcarate said.

Depp’s former agent

In a tape recording played in court, Depp’s former agent, Christian Carino, testified that he believes allegations of domestic violence made by Heard against Depp cost the actor future “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies.

“My opinion is that Amber’s charges would have had the most dramatic impact on his off – screen reputation. I’m not talking about any specific charge,” Carino said.

Carino began representing Depp in October 2016 and at one point represented both Depp and Heard at the same time.

A lawyer for Heard pressured Carino on other issues Depp may have had while working on previous “Pirates” movies.

“I’re aware he’s late, but he’s been late all his life,” Carino said. “I think it’s troublesome for everyone, but everyone has learned how to produce a film to handle it.”

ACLU

Terrace Dougherty, General Counsel for the ACLU, testified in a recorded episode played Thursday about the ACLU’s close involvement in the drafting and placement of the statement written by Heard, who is at the heart of Depp’s case.

Dougherty said ACLU staff wrote a first draft of the play for Heard, which focused on raising awareness about gender-based violence. Heard is an ambassador for the organization.

Dougherty said he remembered several emails back and forth with ACLU staff and attorneys for Heard.

“They suggested edits to the opinion regarding cases covered by the NDA (a confidentiality agreement from Heard and Depp’s divorce),” Dougherty said.

ACLU staff worked to place the statement in consultation with Heard’s team, Dougherty said, and that Heard wanted the piece to be released right after “Aquaman” was released, a strategy that ACLU agreed to.

“From the ACLU’s perspective, Amber is receiving an incredible amount of press and being in the public eye, so what better time would it be than now to publish this op-ed so that it generates significant readership on our topics,” Dougherty said.

Dougherty also testified about donations received by or on behalf of Heard after she publicly promised to donate her entire $ 7 million divorce settlement from Depp to charities, including the ACLU.

Dougherty said Heard agreed to pay the ACLU $ 3.5 million over several years. Heard paid $ 350,000 herself, Depp paid $ 100,000 on her behalf, $ 350,000 was paid from a donor-funded Fidelity fund on Heard’s behalf, and her ex-boyfriend, Elon Musk, paid $ 500,000 from a donor-advised Vanguard fund on her behalf. .

To date, Dougherty has testified that they have received $ 1.3 million from Heard or on her behalf. Payments stopped after 2019.

Dougherty said he has no indication that Heard does not intend to pay the remainder of her promised donation.