Picture by MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP through Getty Pictures
Johnny Depp’s legal professionals rested their case on Thursday morning within the defamation trial between him and his ex-wife Amber Heard, just for the actress to retake the stand and face a grilling from one among his attorneys.
Heard made her emotional return to the stand because the final witness to testify within the seven-week trial between her and Depp. Her voice shaking, she informed jurors mentioned she was nonetheless traumatized by a marketing campaign of on-line vilification that she mentioned started with Depp and his then-lawyer, Adam Waldman, labeling her abuse allegations a “hoax,” and continues at present.
“Each single day, I've to relive the trauma,” Heard mentioned. “My arms shake, I get up screaming.”
Heard was instantly challenged by a Depp lawyer who's beloved by his followers, Camille Vasquez, in a reprise of the extraordinary cross-examination she performed after Heard’s unique testimony.
“Your lies have been uncovered to the world a number of occasions, proper?” Vasquez mentioned.
“I haven’t lied about something,” Heard replied.
Vasquez confronted Heard with witnesses this week who had been referred to as to rebut the actress’ allegations. Amongst them: Kate Moss, the mannequin and former girlfriend of Depp; Morgan Night time, the previous owner-manager of a luxurious desert trailer park the place Heard mentioned a weekend retreat turned violent; and Morgan Tremaine, a former worker of the gossip web site TMZ who organized protection of Heard’s court docket listening to for a short lived restraining order towards Depp.
Moss knocked down a rumor that Depp had pushed her down stairs on a visit to Jamaica, whereas Night time mentioned the one anger he noticed that day in 2013 was from Heard, and Tremaine mentioned he labored with Heard’s workforce to coordinate a photograph of her outdoors the courthouse in 2016 that may present bruising on her face. (Heard denied that she labored with TMZ.)
“You didn’t count on as many individuals to point out up and testify on his behalf that did, did you?” Vasquez requested.
“Incorrect,” Heard replied.
“Whenever you informed this jury underneath oath that you simply punched Mr. Depp since you considered Mr. Depp pushing Kate Moss down the steps, you did not count on Ms. Moss to comply with testify that that by no means occurred, did you?” Vasquez requested.
“Incorrect,” Heard mentioned. “I understand how many individuals will come out of the woodwork to be in assist of Johnny.”
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million, claiming she defamed him even with out naming him in a 2018 Washington Publish op-ed figuring out herself as a sufferer of home violence. Heard’s $100 million counter-suit claims Depp defamed her partly by the use of the assaults leveled by Waldman.
Legal professionals for Heard additionally rested on Thursday, leaving the trial, in its seventh week, set to go to jurors for deliberations following closing arguments, which had been scheduled for Friday.