Through Related Press
FALLS CHURCH: Jurors in Johnny Depp’s libel lawsuit in opposition to ex-wife Amber Heard heard a snippet of testimony Tuesday contradicting one among Heard’s key witnesses, however a lot of the context was once stripped away.
Jennifer Howell — who as soon as hired Heard’s sister, Whitney Henriquez — testified in short Tuesday within the six-week civil trial thru a recorded deposition.
Depp is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court docket over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Submit describing herself as “a public determine representing home abuse.” His attorneys say he was once defamed through the thing although it by no means discussed his identify.
Depp has denied he ever struck Heard and says she was once the abuser within the dating. Heard has testified about greater than a dozen separate circumstances of bodily abuse she says she suffered at Depp’s arms. Howell testified that she despatched an e mail in 2020 to Henriquez begging her to inform the reality.
Jurors, although, didn’t see the letter, nor did Howell provide an explanation for in what means she idea Henriquez was once being untruthful. The edited deposition performed in courtroom for lower than quarter-hour — Howell gave the impression to stroll out of the deposition ahead of attorneys had finished their wondering.
In a courtroom record, although, Howell is going into a lot larger element. She offers a four-page declaration during which she says Henriquez confided in her that Heard was once the aggressor within the battle and Henriquez allegedly mentioned she idea Heard “was once going to kill Johnny.”
Howell additionally says within the declaration that Henriquez advised her and others of their place of job that Heard bring to an end Depp’s finger in a battle the couple had in Australia. The severed finger has been some degree of dispute all through the trial. Depp says the finger was once severed when Heard lobbed a vodka bottle at him. Heard says Depp did it to himself on an evening when he was once in a drunken rage and sexually assaulted her with a bourbon bottle.
Henriquez is the one one among Heard’s witnesses who testified within the six-week trial that she for my part witnessed Depp bodily attack Heard, in a battle the place she mentioned every landed blows at the different whilst she was once stuck between the 2.
It isn’t completely transparent why Howell’s testimony was once so restricted. All over the trial, although, Pass judgement on Penney Azcarate has strictly enforced laws proscribing rumour proof, and Howell’s description of what Henriquez advised her would most probably be a vintage instance of rumour except Depp’s attorneys may just declare some form of exception to the rumour rule.
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In Howell’s declaration, she stated that she was once disenchanted when she discovered that Heard had pledged thousands and thousands of bucks to the American Civil Liberties Union and a kids’s clinic, when Howell idea the cash may just do extra excellent at The Artwork of Elysium, the nonprofit she ran and that had hired Henriquez.
The restricted nature of Howell’s testimony makes it unclear if jurors will draw the connections that Depp’s staff hopes to make.
Howell testified as a rebuttal witness for Depp after Heard rested her case Tuesday morning with out calling Depp to the stand — Heard’s attorneys had to start with advised they’d name Depp as a witness.
Jurors might nonetheless pay attention extra from Depp. His staff has indicated they will name him to the stand Wednesday. Each Depp and Heard have every testified broadly already about main points in their poisonous dating. Additionally Tuesday, the fame information website TMZ filed an emergency movement in quest of to dam the testimony of a former worker, Morgan Tremaine.
TMZ mentioned it is involved that Tremaine is ready to testify Wednesday for Depp and violate a pledge of confidentiality that the scoop outlet equipped to a supply who gave TMZ knowledge associated with the couple’s high-profile divorce.
Heard has denied that she tipped off information shops to the truth that she bought a brief restraining order after submitting for divorce from Depp in 2016. Heard alleged Depp abused her in that utility, and Heard was once photographed through paparazzi leaving the courthouse with an obvious bruise on her cheek.
Depp’s attorneys have mentioned she sought exposure about her abuse allegations to falsely harm his popularity.
Additionally Tuesday, Pass judgement on Penney Azcarate rejected a movement from Depp’s lawyers to toss out a $100 million counterclaim she filed in opposition to Depp. The counterclaim alleges Depp’s then-lawyer, Adam Waldman, defamed Heard when he referred to as her abuse allegations a hoax.
Azcarate mentioned the bar for tossing out a declare ahead of it is going to the jury is exceedingly excessive, and mentioned there may be sufficient proof to permit it to move ahead. She had already dominated Depp might be held answerable for statements made through his legal professional, a idea Depp’s staff disputes.