Amber Heard: 15 months of violence and humiliation with Johnny Depp
The court recorded evidence of 12 occasions in which Deep attacked the model and actress
In one more chapter of the scandal about the alleged violence in the marriage of American actor Johnny Depp with actress Amber Heard - they were married in 2015; They only lasted 15 months - the 57-year-old actor lost a defamation lawsuit against the British newspaper The Sun on Monday, which in 2018 called him a "wife beater."
"The defendants have shown that what they published, in the sense that their words have as I understand it, was substantially true," said London judge Andrew Nicol, announcing his verdict in this highly mediatic case, and after three weeks of hearing testimonies that included stories about drug abuse, feces in the marriage bed, suspicions of infidelity and a finger severed by a bottle during a violent fight.
The judge ruled that, based on supporting evidence, Depp attacked his ex-wife at least 12 times:
-In early 2013, Depp slapped and knocked Heard to the ground after she made a joke about his tattoo.
-In March 2013, the actor became enraged while on drugs and hit Amber so hard that it caused her lips to bleed.
-In June 2013, Depp attacked Amber in a trailer in Hicksville.
-In May 2014, the actor yelled at his wife on a private jet after taking drugs and getting drunk; kicked him in the back.
-In 2014, Depp pulled Amber by the hair, slapped her and threw her to the ground on a trip to the Bahamas.
-In January 2015, the actor attacked Amber while taking drugs; he slapped her and pushed her.
-In March 2015, for three days, Depp assaulted his ex-wife in Australia, leaving Heard with a broken lip, a swollen nose and wounds all over his body.
-Also in March 2015, at the couple's home in Los Angeles, Depp hit Amber in front of her sister Whitney.
-In August 2015, on the couple's honeymoon, Depp pushed Amber against a wall grabbing her by the neck.
-In December 2015, Depp threw a glass mug at Amber at his Los Angeles home on a drug binge; he beat her and threatened to kill her.
-In April 2016, at Amber's birthday party, Depp assaulted her after receiving "grim news" about her finances.
-In May 2016, Depp threw a phone at Heard, injuring her eye, before pulling her hair and hitting her.
This was listed by The Sun on Monday, stating: “In an impressive victory for press freedom, the London High Court ruled that we were right in calling the Pirates of the Caribbean actor a 'wife beater' for his brutal attacks on Your ex".
Marital violence exposed
In May 2016, after 15 months of marriage, the scandal broke out when Amber Heard (34 years old) filed for divorce when denouncing Depp of domestic violence. She even asked for a restraining order in a Los Angeles courthouse. "Irreconcilable differences" and "years of physical and psychological violence" is what the actress uncovered and reiterated that she feared for her life; She provided photographs of her bruised face and made mention of the interpreter's long and old history of drug and alcohol abuse.
Subsequently, the entertainment site TMZ published a video in which Depp allegedly throws a glass of wine at Heard in the middle of a violent fight in the kitchen of her Los Angeles residence. And she appeared on the cover of People magazine with the wounds left by the actor after the last beating.
In the midst of all this commotion - not to mention Johnny Depp - Amber published in December 2018 an article in The Washington Post in which she made general reference to the gender violence she has suffered from a young age. She also reiterated the fundamental role that the #MeToo movement has played for women in various areas and professions.
However, she remarked, the large institutions made it clear how, faced with the accusations of hundreds of women, their support would be for the men they represent:
“I was exposed to abuse at a very young age. She knew certain things from the beginning, without ever having to say it. She knew that men have the power, physically, socially, and financially, and that many institutions support that arrangement. I knew this long before I had the words to articulate it, and I bet you learned it young too (...) Then, two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse and felt the full force of anger of our culture for women who speak (...) Friends and advisers told me that I would never work as an actress again, that I would be on the black list, ”the actress pointed out in her opinion piece.
This is not the first time that the actress has been involved in a scandal of violence. Before meeting Depp, Heard made headlines in 2009 for physically assaulting her then-girlfriend, Hawaiian artist and photographer Tasya van Ree, at the Seattle-Tacamo International Airport in Washington. It was reported in the media that Heard allegedly beat Van Ree, and she was arrested. However, all charges were dropped, and Van Ree herself said publicly that her partner had been "wrongly" accused by police officers who "misinterpreted and overstated" the incident.
Depp's version
“I have vehemently denied Ms. Heard's allegations since she first made them in May 2016 when she went to court to obtain a temporary restraining order with painted bruises that witnesses and surveillance cameras showed that she did not have the week above, ”the actor defended himself, according to court documents. "I will continue denying it the rest of my life."
To date, the actor continues to deny all the accusations against him, and instead, he has denounced - also with evidence such as images, video and audios and even witness statements - that the opposite was happening, that is, it was Heard who was violent with the. He even accused her of wanting to build a "dossier" on their relationship in order to get an "insurance policy" and be able to align with the #MeToo movement.
Precisely, in an action that would be incongruous, Heard retracted her accusations when she and Depp reached an out-of-court agreement that required the actress to withdraw the restraining order for gender violence, and that the actor pay her USD 7 million, which the interpreter donated to charity.
Regarding the trial with The Sun, Depp's attorneys called the ruling "as perverse as it was disconcerting," and hinted that the actor could appeal the decision.
The defense considered quite worrying that the judge will trust Amber's statements in this way, without taking into account “the mountain of evidence from the police officers, the doctors, her own ex-assistant, other witnesses and a series of documents that completely undermined the accusations, point by point ”.
