Amber Heard questioned over public appearances after alleged abuse by ex Johnny Depp

Content warning: the article contain descriptions of alleged domestic abuse some readers may find disturbing.

Amber Heard is being questioned over public appearances she made after alleged abuse by ex Johnny Depp occurred amid a trial of dueling defamation lawsuits.

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for defamation, for allegedly false domestic abuse accusations she made against him that he said hurt his career. Heard is counter-suing Depp, also for defamation, for $100 million.

The highly-publicized trial has been live-streamed on the Law & Crime Network YouTube channel, and other outlets, from a courtroom in Fairfax, Virginia since mid-April.

Depp’s lawyer, Camille Vasquez, performed a rather unrelenting cross-examination Monday, including asking questions like, 

“Mr. Depp is your victim, isn’t he?”

When Heard replied, “No, ma’am” Vasquez continued,

“And once he left you, you continued to abuse him, publicly, by calling him an abuser, didn’t you?”

Heard once again rebutted the allegation, saying, “He is an abuser. And you can look either of us up online and figure out who’s being abused online.”

After that, Vasquez delved into a line of questioning regarding Depp’s rings. Heard said her general experience of Depp was that he always wore “big chunky rings” on each of his fingers.

“I pretty much always knew him to wear rings,” Heard said, regarding an incident of alleged abuse by Depp in March 2013

Vasquez then presented a couple of photos of Heard appearing publicly with Depp in promotion for The Lone Ranger in Russia. Heard confirmed the photos had been taken after allegedly being hit in the face by Depp while he was wearing rings, even though the images don’t show Heard having any visible signs of injury. 

Another photo from the Russia press event for The Lone Ranger also did not show any immediately discernable injuries on Heard (below).

Another photo presented by Vasquez was confirmed by Heard to be taken the night after Depp allegedly hit her so hard that he broke her nose, but again, there are no visible signs of injury in the picture. 

Heard claimed she used ice to make the swelling go down.

Vasquez presented another photo purported to be taken the day after Heard alleged Depp kneeled on her back. Heard confirmed under questioning she could not see any marks in the photo.

Another public appearance was scrutinized by Vasquez, in which Heard appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Dec. 16, 2015, the day after Heard alleged Depp abused her to the point of having a split lip. Heard claimed she did have a split lip on the show, even though photos from her appearance did not show any visible signs of injury. 

Vasquez even played a clip of the talk show segment, in which Heard was promoting her appearance in The Danish Girl. According to Heard’s testimony, the alleged split lip was apparently covered up with red lipstick. The clip in question, of Heard’s appearance on the show, is available online, via The Late Late Show’s official YouTube channel.

Vasquez also confirmed that Heard took a couple of other photos after the alleged Dec. 15, 2015 incident (below).

Heard also confirmed she didn’t receive any medical treatments for the alleged sexual assault from a liquor bottle by Depp, while they were in Australia, or several other injuries she alleged she sustained.

While Heard has maintained she was abused by Depp, Depp claimed just the opposite: he was abused by her and not the other way around.

“You didn’t think he would tell the world he was a victim of domestic violence, did you?” Vasquez asked Heard. 

“I found it hard to believe that he could or that he would do that, considering the relationship he and I had. I thought it would be crazy for him to do so,” Heard said.

Heard’s previous testimony indicated Depp had allegedly slapped and punched her on multiple occasions and twice sexually assaulted her. She also claimed she covered up her injuries with makeup.

In the Heard-penned 2018 Washington Post article at the center of Depp’s lawsuit, she describes herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Though Depp isn’t named in the article, Heard made prior allegations of abuse against Depp in 2016, which he claims is referenced in the piece.

Heard also has several other witnesses lined up to testify, including her sister Whitney Henriquez, actor Ellen Barkin, and Depp himself. This will be the second time Depp has taken the stand after he previously testified on behalf of himself and was cross-examined by Heard’s team last month.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788.