Actor Johnny Depp has surrounded himself with helpers to protect him from the effects of drugs and alcohol, his ex-wife Amber Heard said on Thursday.
Hurd returned to the witness stand to defend herself against accusations of slandering her ex-husband.
Depp is suing Hurd for defamation because of a post she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as a “public figure representing domestic violence.” His lawyers say he was slandered by the 2018 article, although he never mentions his name.
Hurd told jurors about the photos she took of Depp in 2013, in which he fainted. She said she took the pictures because Depp can’t remember what he did when he was drunk, and denied what happened while he was unconscious.
“He would not remember or deny it. There was no one to support me, “she said.
WATCH Experience highlights the concerns of public opinion:
The libel trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard highlights public opinion concerns
As Johnny Depp’s high-profile defamation trial makes its way through the courts, public opinion seems to be in Depp’s favor. This worries domestic violence experts, who fear it will make survivors think twice before leaving. 2:03
She also gave her description of an incident that has already been the subject of a lawsuit, a plane ride in May 2014 from Boston to Los Angeles. According to Hurd, Depp was jealous and angry that he was making a film with actor James Franco, which included a kissing scene.
“He hated, he hated James Franco,” she said.
As soon as Depp boarded the private jet, he began cursing her about Franco, she said. She got up and walked away, but Depp followed. At one point, he slapped her, Hurd testified. Later, she said, he kicked her and no one on board intervened on her behalf.
“I felt that boot in my back,” she said. “I fell to the floor. And nobody said anything. Nobody did anything. You could hear a needle fall. I just remember feeling so uncomfortable.”
Depp, who testified earlier in the trial, described the incident differently. He denied drinking excessively before boarding the plane, and said Hurd started an argument and chased him until he was forced to hide in the bathroom.
The battle became “ugly”: Depp’s text
But jurors heard a recording made by Hurd towards the end of the incident, in which it sounded as if Depp was talking to you incoherently. And the jury saw a text message that Depp sent to his friend Paul Bethany shortly after the flight, in which he said he would “stop the alcohol thing right” because the flight had become “ugly.” He also sent a message to Bethany, saying, “I admit I’m too fucked up to vent my anger on the one I love, for no reason at all.”
Hurd testified that she was physically and sexually assaulted repeatedly by Depp, usually when he was drunk or drugged. Depp denied ever hitting her, but Hurd’s lawyers said his denial was not credible in part because he could not remember what he did when he fainted.
Depp said Hurd greatly exaggerated his drinking and tolerated his alcohol well. Depp’s friends, family and employees took the stand and supported his statement.
But Hurd said that’s part of the problem. She said Depp has a team around him that cleans him when he gets sick and allows him to do his job without acknowledging the consequences of drinking.
Hurd is expected to be on the stand all day Thursday at Fairfax County Court.
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