According to Depp's lawyers, Hurd initiated such a charge when she realized that she could lose the court.
One of the most high-profile trials of the spring began in Fairfax County Court in Virginia — the trial of 58-year-old Johnny Depp and 35-year-old Amber Heard, who, even a few years after the divorce, do not stop torturing each other with new lawsuits. This time, Hurd decided to accuse her ex-husband of sexual violence, according to the Chronicle.info with reference to Focus.
Herd's lawyer said his client would testify in court about the «terrifying» details as Depp is suing her for defamation. The defense of the actress intends to accuse the plaintiff of this as well, as he is trying to prove that the ex-wife slandered him and ruined his career. The reason for the lawsuit from the star «Pirates of the Caribbean» was Hurd's 2018 column she wrote for the Washington Post about her experience of domestic violence, although she never mentioned Depp's name in the article.
During the trial, which is broadcast live on Court TV, Heard's lawyer Ben Rottenborn said the evidence would show that she was subjected to domestic violence by Depp, which «took many forms», including physical, emotional, verbal and psychological.
Discussing the title used for the online version of Heard's article «Amber Heard: I spoke out against sexual abuse — and faced the wrath of our culture. This needs to change», the lawyers explained that she did not write this headline herself and did not approve of it, but argue that Heard was indeed the victim of sexual abuse by Depp.
«Unfortunately, this is true. Amber was indeed sexually abused by Depp… You will hear in the most graphic and horrifying terms of the abuse she was subjected to. You will hear it directly from her», said the actress's advocate Ben Rottenborn.
He revealed that Depp allegedly had a three-day memory blackout due to alcohol while in Australia in 2015 near the end of their marriage. During this period, Johnny «offended and sexually abused Amber, all because she had the courage to confront him drunk».
«Imagine: a troubled wife arguing with her husband that he drinks and receives an «award»» for it, Rottenborn said.
In a comment to reporters, the lawyer clarified that this information surfaced years later.< /p>
In turn, Depp's lawyers claim that Heard fabricated «false accusations» in order to improve her own career and destroy her ex-husband's. Attorney Camilla Vazquez claimed that Amber added sexual assault to the list of charges because she «panicked»when she realized «the seriousness of what she was claiming»and realized that she could lose. According to the lawyer, Hurd's lawyers will share «explosive» stories «called» «distract» from «common sense».
Depp and Heard, who met on the set of «The Rum Diary» 2011. After a brief marriage, the couple separated in May 2016 when she requested a restraining order against domestic violence, accusing him of abusing her. Depp denied the allegations, and the former couple settled their divorce out of court in August 2016.
Depp originally filed a $50 million libel suit in March 2019, but it was shelved due to the pandemic.
Back in November 2020, the actor lost a highly publicized libel lawsuit in the UK against British tabloid The Sun for being that he called him a «wife beater». The court upheld the publication's allegations as «practically true», and Hurd testified to support these claims. In March 2021, his attempt to reverse the decision was rejected.