Jurors in Depp’s libel case against his ex-wife listened to recorded depositions Wednesday by officers who claim they saw Heard crying, but no signs of injury. Heard had been at the Los Angeles courthouse to file for a temporary order of restraining orders six days prior. Heard claimed that Depp had inflicted a serious injury on her face during a fight.
Tyler Hadden, a Los Angeles police officer, was one of those who responded to Heard’s penthouse apartment in May 21 2016. Heard said Heard wouldn’t talk to officers and didn’t have any signs of injury. However, he admitted that Heard had been crying and was red-faced.
He said, “Just because I see pink cheeks and eyes in a female doesn’t mean that something happened,” during a deposition recorded for jurors on Wednesday.
Officers arrived to find that Depp had already left his penthouse. Officers claimed they didn’t know who Heard was or that Depp was married to him. He claimed that neither Heard nor anyone else at the penthouse complex would tell him or any other officers who Heard was married to.
Jurors heard Tuesday testimony from an officer who was with Hadden to the penthouse.
William Gatlin (an officer who conducted a follow up visit that night) testified Wednesday that he did not see any injuries. However, he admitted that his visit was short and that he didn’t get closer than 10 feet (3 metres) to Heard. His check was only a preliminary one as it seemed that Hadden had already replied to his call.
The jury saw Gatlin’s bodycam video response. It took less than two minutes. Heard could not be seen from afar.
Heard’s lawyers suggested that Heard could cover her injuries with makeup because she wanted to protect Depp. Officers were also asked why they didn’t investigate a possible case of domestic violence better.
Depp’s best evidence is the officers’ testimony, which shows that Heard concocted the accusations against her ex-husband. This testimony adds to earlier testimony by witnesses who claimed that Heard and her sister were performing fake punches during the days following the attack.
However, Heard’s lawyers are yet to present their case. Some of her friends claim that they were in the penthouse at Depp’s alleged attack on her.
Even if jurors concluded that Depp did not assault his wife on May 21st, they heard evidence of other alleged assaults during their brief marriage.
After she published an opinion piece in The Washington Post in which she called herself “a public figure representing domestic violence”, Depp sued Heard in Fairfax County Circuit Court.
Although Depp is not mentioned in the article, his lawyers claim that it contains “defamation-by-implication”. This article clearly refers to domestic abuse allegations made by Depp when she filed for divorce. Depp claims that the Post article caused an unfairly damaged reputation which made him an outcast in Hollywood and cost him his position in the lucrative “Pirates of the Caribbean”. His career disaster is attributed to Depp, according to Heard’s lawyers.
Jurors heard Wednesday’s recorded testimony from Christian Carino. Heard and Depp were friends and Carino was an agent. He stated that he believed the abuse allegations had scuttled Depp’s participation in the sixth “Pirates of the Caribbean” film. However, he didn’t directly blame Heard’s 2018 opinion piece for the film’s loss.
In opening statements, Heard’s lawyers informed jurors that Depp’s reputation had been damaged by the Post article in order for him to win in a libel suit.
Carino also testified to Heard’s attempts at reconciliation with Depp after Depp filed for divorce in 2016, and 2017. Heard and Depp met briefly in 2016. This ended in a fight.
He also briefly testified about Heard’s relationship with Elon Musk, a tech entrepreneur. Heard sent Carino a text in 2017 expressing sadness over her split with Musk. Carino was incredulous and replied to Heard by texting, “You told us a thousand times that you were just filling in space.”
Although the lawsuit for libel is meant to focus on whether Depp was defamed by the article, the majority of the trial has been focused on the ugly details of their brief marriage.
Heard has been denied by Depp that he ever struck him. Heard’s lawyers claim that Depp sexually and physically abused her. Depp’s denials are unfounded because he was frequently drunk to the point where he could not see.
Wednesday marked the 10th day of the trial. It is expected that it will last for a month. Depp spent four days at the witness stand Monday. Heard will testify later in this trial.
