Police officers told the Johnny Depp defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard that they found no evidence of domestic violence after receiving a call from the actress.
The trial between Mr. Depp and Ms. Hurd began Monday, April 11, in Fairfax, Virginia, following Mr. Depp’s lawsuit against his ex-wife in March 2019. Mr. Depp claims she slandered him in a post from December 2018, published in The Washington Post entitled “I spoke out against sexual violence – and faced the wrath of our culture. That needs to change. “
Police officers Melissa Saenz and Tyler Hadden of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a pre-recorded testimony played in court on Tuesday and Wednesday that they had not identified any evidence of a crime.
Officer Saenz responded to Mr. Depp’s penthouse in the Eastern Columbia building in Los Angeles, where Ms. Hurd was staying on May 21, 2016, finding her crying.
While she said Ms. Hurd’s face was flushed with emotion, the 12-year-old veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department testified that she had not witnessed any injuries to Ms. Hurd.
“We met with a victim,” the official said in a pre-recorded video testimony released in court.
“We checked the location. The husband was not there, and the victim advised us that she had just quarreled. And that she would not give us more information. And since we didn’t find a crime, we gave her a business card. “
She added that she had been “informed that she could contact us later if she changed her mind and wanted to cooperate”.
Ms. Hurd filed a restraining order against Mr. Depp later that month, alleging that he threw a phone at her face.
Officer Saenz said several times that she would report if she thought a crime had been committed, but she said she saw nothing to make her think there was domestic violence.
Mr Depp testified that he was the victim of domestic violence, claiming that Ms Hurd had made up her allegations when she found out she wanted to end the relationship.
The pre-recorded testimony of Los Angeles Police Officer Tyler Hadden was played in court on Wednesday morning. He also responded to the incident on May 21, 2016 – the last quarrel between the couple before their separation. Mrs. Saenz was his trainer.
Officers arrived at the building at 8:57 p.m., with a police document showing that they met with the victim at 9:22 p.m. Officer Hadden said Ms. Hurd had not asked for a report and that their investigation did not give rise to a report.
He said Ms Hurd had no visible injuries and no signs of a fight.
“The victim, the corrector, the witness … did not cooperate,” he said.
“I had no idea who she was,” he added.
Officer Hadden said Ms. Hurd’s face was “red from her crying” and not “from anything else,” adding that “this is consistent with her crying.”
He added that it would not be common practice for employees to write a “verbal dispute only” report.
In her 2018 publication, Ms. Hurd wrote that, like many women, I was harassed and sexually abused when I grew up in college. But I was silent – I did not expect the complaints to be fair. And I didn’t see myself as a victim. “
“Then, two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic violence, and I felt the full force of our culture’s anger at women who speak openly,” she added at the time.
Although Mr Depp is not mentioned in the article, his legal team claims that it contains a “clear implication that Mr. Depp is a domestic abuser”, which they consider to be “definitely and obviously untrue”. Mr Depp is seeking compensation of “at least $ 50 million”.
Ms. Hurd filed a $ 100 million counterclaim against Mr. Depp for inconvenience and immunity from his allegations.
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