Johnny Depp reacts to photo Amber Heard took of him asleep with spilt ice cream
Lawyers representing Amber Heard cross-examined Johnny Depp for a full day on Thursday following his two days of testimony in his $50m (£38.2m) defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife.
The trial has now adjourned, and resumes on Monday for a third week at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia.
Heard is being sued by Depp for implying he abused her in a 2018 op-ed. Although she did not name him, he claims her allegations have made it difficult for the actor to land movie roles, turning him from “Cinderella to Quasimodo” in Hollywood.
The actor has testified about a traumatic childhood with an abusive mother saying his relationship with Heard mirrored that, describing her as “bullying” him.
On Thursday, Heard’s lawyers challenged him over vulgar text messages he sent about her and his drug use and drinking.
His account of the severing of his finger in Australia was also disputed, and pictures of messages scrawled across mirrors in blood and paint were shown in court, as well as several secretly recorded arguments and fights.
Depp also told the court he believed Amber Heard was having an affair with James Franco.
Depp called ex Vanessa Paradis ‘extortionist French c***’ in email to Elton John
During Thursday’s cross-examination, the court learned that Depp called his ex Vanessa Paradis, the mother of his children, a “French extortionist c***” in an email to British singer Elton John.
Depp, 58, said Heard, 36, told him that his two children, Lily-Rose Depp, 22, and John Christopher Depp III, 20, didn’t like him and that he was a “bad father”. Depp said that in reality, his children didn’t like Ms Heard.
Ms Heard’s legal team pushed back against the claim by sharing a 2013 email from Mr Depp to Sir Elton, in which Mr Depp shared his displeasure with Ms Paradis, 49 – his partner from 1998 until 2012.
The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander reports:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 20:40
Who could testify next week?
The third week of the defamation trial opposing Depp and Heard will resume on Monday with the former taking the witness stand for more cross-examination.
While it’s unclear who will be up to testify after Depp, here’s a look at the possibilities:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 20:10
Why is the trial being held in Virginia?
The explosive defamation trial between Depp and Heard is unfolding well outside their normal Hollywood orbit – at a court in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Depp’s suit against his ex-wife alleges that she defamed him in a December 2018 op-ed published in The Washington Post titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change”.
The trial is taking place in Fairfax because the online edition of The Post is published via servers in the county, allowing Depp to sue her in that area.
According to the Associated Press, Heard’s attorneys tried to get the trial moved to California but Depp’s lawyers said one of the reasons they decided to sue in Virginia was because of the state’s anti-SLAPP legislation, which is not as wide-ranging as in California.
The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander explains:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 19:40
Where did it all go wrong? Timeline of Depp and Heard’s relationship
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are believed to have started dating that year, after Depp split from his longtime partner, French actor Vanessa Paradis. Depp and Paradis have two children: a daughter named Lily-Rose and a son named Jack.
The couple confirmed their engagement in March 2014 and tied the knot in February 2015.
By May 2016, Heard was filing for divorce.
Here’s everything you need to know about their doomed relationship:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 19:10
RECAP: Why is Depp suing Heard?
If you’re just joining The Independent’s coverage of the trial opposing Johnny Depp and Amber…
Read More: Johnny Depp trial live: Actor says he believed Amber Heard was having affair