Jurors listening to testimony in Johnny Depp’s libel suit against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, on Monday listened to audio recordings in which he mentioned the violence that could follow if their arguments were allowed to escalate.
“The next step, if I don’t leave… it’s going to be a bloodbath like it was on the island,” Depp says on the recording.
In other audio clips, Depp loudly shouts vulgarities at his wife, calling her a humiliating word and shouting at her: “You stupid f***ing.”
Depp shuddered on the podium as the clips played, while Heard seemed to be fighting back tears.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation because of an article she wrote in the Washington Post in 2018. She calls herself a “public figure representing domestic violence.”
Depp’s cross-examination ended Monday morning
The videos were part of Depp’s grueling cross-examination that ended late Monday morning, when he testified for the fourth day about his allegations that Heard falsely portrayed him as a domestic aggressor.
Hurd’s lawyers continued to ask questions during cross-examination. focusing on Depp’s drinking, drug use, and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.
During Monday’s testimony, Depp actually said very little, although on redirection from his lawyer, he tried to explain some of his rude expressions and again denied cutting off his finger during a fight with Heard, although he told people as much. at this time. Now he says the finger was cut off when Heard threw a bottle of vodka at him.
“Why would I start cutting off the numbers in my 50s?” he said, showing his right hand to the jury. “I can’t take responsibility for what I now call Little Richard, my severed finger.”
Most of the interrogations consisted of Heard’s lawyer playing audio clips or reading vulgar text messages sent by Depp and asking Depp if he had read them correctly.
Throughout the cross-examination, Depp demonstrated his dissatisfaction with J.’s questions. Benjamin Rottenborn, Heard’s lawyer. When he interrupted one answer, Depp said: “I told you.” When Rottenborn said that he considered the question an exhaustive answer, Depp replied: “As long as you’re happy.”
Depp also expressed disapproval when Rottenborn read the headlines from a series of negative articles written about the actor, some of which date back to 2014.
