Two Los Angeles Police Department officers testified that neither one of them saw injuries on Amber Heard when they made a response to an alleged domestic violence incident at Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp’s penthouse in May 2016.
The pre-recorded testimonies of officers Tyler Hadden and Melissa Saenz occurred during a trial of dueling defamation lawsuits between the Hollywood stars and ex-spouses that is currently unfolding in Fairfax, Virginia, and is being live-streamed on the Law & Crime YouTube Channel.
Pirates of the Caribbean actor Depp is suing Aquaman star Heard for $50 million for defamation for what he alleges are false claims of domestic abuse against him that have hurt his career. Heard is counter-suing, also for defamation, for $100 million.
On Tuesday, Officer Hadden’s video deposition was played for the jury, in which he describes what happened when he responded to a 911 call made at the penthouse on May 21, 2016.
Similar to Officer Saenz’s previous account of the incident, Hadden testified that Heard didn’t have any visible injuries, according to his recollection. Hadden also said Heard refused medical treatment.
“[T]here was no sign of struggle. And the victim, or correction, the witness that was there that I spoke with was uncooperative as well,” Hadden said.
The officer noted that he observed Heard had been crying and that she had a red face, from a distance, and left his business card with her. When asked if he took any photos of the event, he said he did not.
Hadden added that he did not observe Heard “being fearful.”
On Monday, Officer Saenz testified she saw “red marks” on Heard’s face during the incident, but that it was consistent with her crying, in her opinion.
Saenz said Depp was not present when they responded, but that Heard told them that she just had an argument. However, Heard “wasn’t going to give [them] any further information,” the officer said.
“And because we didn’t identify a crime, we issued her a business card letting her know that she could reach out to us later if she changed her mind and would like to cooperate,” Saenz said.
Saenz also said she did not see any injuries on Heard, any property damage, or anything out of the ordinary.
Forensic psychologist hired by Depp’s team diagnoses Heard with two personality disorders; claims she ‘grossly exaggerated’ PTSD symptoms
Also on Tuesday, a forensic psychologist hired by Depp’s team testified that she had diagnosed Heard with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder, after about 12 hours of meeting with her directly.
Dr. Shannon Curry also testified that she did not think Heard had post-traumatic stress disorder, and that “there were also pretty significant indications that she was grossly exaggerating symptoms of PTSD.”
When asked to explain how she came to that conclusion, Curry testified that the test she used determines if the subject is responding accurately “by not just asking people whether they have a symptom, but asking follow-up questions that draw out very detailed accounts of every single symptom of PTSD.”
“And when you’re really familiar with this disorder, which you need to be to administer this test, there are nuances in the way a person will describe their symptoms that have been shown, repeatedly, to indicate exaggeration or faking. There are also indications when somebody is clearly giving you a genuine response.”
Curry further detailed typical behavior of people with Heard’s condition(s), such as being “flirtatious with everybody.”
Curry also said she met with Johnny Depp and his team at his house to interview about whether to testify on Depp’s behalf. Dinner was also served at the meeting, she said. When pressed by Heard’s lawyer, Curry admitted drinks were also served at the meeting, which lasted several hours, and that she may have had a drink at the time, as well.
Curry also said it was not typical for her to meet with a client in their counsel before being retained as an expert, and has not done so with another client either before or after.
“This is a very visible case, it’s been going on for a very long time. And I understood that there would be a need to interview me and determine, make an informed decision, about my qualifications,” Curry said.
Although a court document by Depp’s team said Curry would testify that she believes Heard had characteristics that indicate she may have perpetuated intimate partner violence toward Depp, the psychologist acknowledged she has not arrived at that opinion, nor had she ever been asked to testify on that topic, specifically.
The trial thus far has painted a sad portrait of a relationship that went on the rocks. While Heard maintains Depp abused her, Depp claims just the opposite: she abused him, and not the other way around. The couple’s former marriage counselor earlier testified she believed the pair engaged in “mutual abuse.” The therapist, Dr. Laurel Anderson, also testified she saw bruises on Heard’s face when they met face-to-face at one point.
The 2018 Washington Post op-ed written by Heard, and Depp’s allegations that it damaged his career, are at the center of his lawsuit against his ex-wife. Depp is not named in the article, but he says he is implied as the abuser in the piece — an allegation he denies. In previous testimony, Depp confirmed Heard made domestic abuse allegations against him as far back as 2016.
Heard herself is expected to take the stand and testify at some point during the trial. Other famous names on the witness list slated to testify, either in person or via video link, include tech mogul Elon Musk, and actors James Franco and Paul Bettany.
