For the past six weeks, the trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp captivated fans and viewers who tuned in to the court room proceedings. It all concluded yesterday when the jury, after about 12 hours of deliberation, found Amber Heard and Johnny Depp both guilty of defamation in their legal battles against one another. Depp, however, was awarded a cumulative $15 million in damages while Heard was granted $2 million, resulting in a legal win for the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
If you’ve haven’t been cued in to the back-and-forth during the trial, we’re breaking down every bombshell moment to catch you up to speed.
It started when Depp sued his ex-wife for defamation after she wrote an op-ed article for The Washington Post in 2018, describing herself as a survivor of domestic violence. While the Aquaman actress never explicitly referred to her ex-husband by name, Depp claimed $50 million in damages in 2019, but was delayed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, Heard countersued for $100 million in damages.
Previously, Depp was not as successful in his past attempts to sue for libel. In 2020, Depp lost his libel lawsuit in the U.K. against British tabloid The Sun for referring to him as a “wife-beater.” With Heard’s testimony as well, the court sided with the publication, considering their claims to be “substantially true.” In March of this year, Depp’s attempt to overturn the verdict but was overruled.
Now that Heard has been found liable for three counts of defamation and the trial has concluded, look back on the biggest revelations that took place.
Depp Testifies That Heard Severed His Finger
A major highlight of the case involved the notorious fight between Depp and Heard that took place in Australia while Depp was filming the fifth installment of the Disney franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2015. Depp claimed Heard threw a vodka bottle at his hand while it was leaning on a counter after discussing a post-nuptial agreement. Depp’s legal team showcased bloody images of the injury, which severed the tip of his middle right finger. Depp detailed lying to the doctors on Heard’s behalf, saying he caught his hand in an accordion door. Heard’s legal team denied Depp’s claims.
Depp Claims Heard Defecated in Their Bed
Depp told the court he believed either Heard or one of her friends were responsible for fecal matter discovered in their shared bed after Depp told Heard he was leaving her.
The actor claimed the incident occurred following an argument during a Heard’s 30th birthday party dinner in April of 2016.
“My initial response to that was, I laughed,” Depp said. “It was so outside. It was so bizarre and so grotesque that I could only laugh.” After images were presented to the court, the actor alleged that Heard blamed the “fecal delivery” on her two dogs, Pistol and Boo.
“They’re teacup Yorkies,” Depp commented in disbelief. “They weigh about 4 pounds each. I lived with those dogs. I picked up their funk. It was not the dogs.”
After Depp’s longtime security guard (who still works for the actor) Starling Jenkins III claimed Heard admitted to him that the excrement was meant to be taken as a practical joke, Heard vehemently denied those claims.
Lily-Rose Depp Did Not Attend the Wedding
Johnny Depp testified that his daughter, model and actress Lily-Rose Depp, did not attend his February 2015 wedding to Heard due to her rocky relationship with Heard at the time.
“My daughter Lily-Rose did not come to the wedding. She and Mrs. Heard were not on particularly great terms, for several reasons,” Depp recalled.
Lily-Rose, 23, is Depp’s eldest child with ex, French actress Vanessa Paradis. The pair also share their son Jack, 20.
Depp’s Disturbing Texts
The high-profile trial made Depp and Heard’s audio recordings and text messages public, and one exchange caught attention. An October 2016 text message conversation between Depp and his friend Isaac Baruch revealed that Depp said, “Hopefully that c***’s rotting corpse is decomposing in the f***ing trunk of a Honda Civic!!”
Another text sent by Depp detailed drowning and burning his ex-wife, where Depp said, “I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead.”
Amid his testimony, Depp admitted to not feeling proud of “any of the language that I used,” in these conversations.
What About James Franco?
After having worked with James Franco in 2008 in Pineapple Express, Heard worked with the actor again in 2015 for the independent film The Adderall Diaries. The actress told the court Depp consistently accused Heard of engaging in an affair with her costar. “He hated, hated James Franco,” Heard claimed.
While Heard filmed Adderall Diaries in New York, Depp worked on the film Black Mass in Boston. Taking a private plane together back to L.A., Heard alleged that Depp struck her and kicked her in the presence of assistants and security. Depp denied these allegations, and claimed Heard was the aggressor instead.
Later in the trial, Heard told the court that she hosted Franco at her penthouse the day before filing for divorce from Depp. Elevator surveillance footage was presented to the jury. “He was my friend,” she explained. “And I, frankly, has exhausted my support network with my usual friends and was happy to welcome as much friendship at that time as I could possibly get.”
Depp Discusses an Abusive Childhood
Depp and his sister Christi Dembrowski told the court their mother Betty Sue was abusive to them as children, as well as to their father John Sr. According to Depp the influence from his childhood informed his impulse to stay in his tumultuous marriage to Heard.
“I suppose because my father stayed [in his abusive relationship]. … And I didn’t want to fail. I wanted to try to make it work. I thought maybe I could help her,” Depp explained. “I thought maybe I could bring her around. Because the Amber Heard that I knew for the first year, year and a half was not this, suddenly this opponent. It wasn’t my girl, she had become my opponent.”
Heard Claims Sexual Assault
While Heard has alleged various forms of domestic abuse at the hands of Depp, including physical, verbal, emotional, and psychological, Heard also detailed multiple instances of sexual abuse.
The actress’ attorney Ben Rottenborn warned the jury, “You will hear in the most graphic and horrifying terms about the violence that she suffered. You’ll hear that straight from her.”
Describing the encounters in graphic detail during her emotional testimony, Heard alleged Depp vaginally penetrated her with an alcohol bottle during an altercation which took place in Australia in 2015.
Head also testified that Depp sexually assaulted her on another occasion, allegedly conducting a “cavity search” to look for drugs. Depp accused Heard of “hiding” drugs and removed her clothing and undergarments in “search” for them. According to Heard, this assault occurred in 2013 after Depp accused the actress of infidelity while he was under the influence of drugs.
Depp has vehemently denied all claims of sexual abuse, dubbing the allegations as “fictitious” and “for the purpose of Hollywood shock value of which Amber has mastered and used to exploit a serious social movement.”
Kate Moss Testifies
Supermodel Kate Moss appeared in court via video. She was called as a witness after Heard took the stand and referenced an unverified violent incident that allegedly happened between Moss and Depp. Contradicting those claims, Moss answered questions relating to the rumored encounter that Depp once shoved her down a flight of stairs.
When asked about a vacation with Depp in Jamaica, Moss described the sequence of events. “We were leaving the room, and Johnny left the room before I did,” the model recalled during her testimony. “There had been a rainstorm, and as I left the room, I slid down the stairs and I hurt my back. And I screamed because I didn’t know what had happened to me and I was in pain. And he came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention.” The supermodel went on to add, “He never pushed me, kicked me, or threw me down any stairs.” Heard’s defense team declined to cross-examine Moss.
