Both Heard and Depp, who met in 2009 and were married from 2015-2016, accuse the other of physical violence under their relationship. They have both rejected the other’s claims.
The trial, which began on April 11, is expected to last six weeks. Heard has not yet testified.
Ahead of Monday’s return to court, here’s a look at some of what took place last week in the trial.
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.