ALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A hand surgeon testified Monday that Johnny Depp couldn’t have misplaced the tip of his center finger the way in which he instructed jurors it occurred in his civil lawsuit in opposition to ex-wife Amber Heard.
The finger harm, which occurred in a March 2015 combat in Australia between Depp and Heard, has been one in every of a number of key factors of dispute within the lawsuit. Depp says he was injured when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him. Heard has mentioned she by no means noticed particularly the way it occurred, however that it occurred on an evening when an enraged Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle.
Depp is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court docket over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Put up describing herself as “a public determine representing home abuse.” His attorneys say he was defamed by the article regardless that it by no means talked about his title.
Depp has denied he ever struck Heard, and says she was the abuser within the relationship. Heard has testified about greater than a dozen separate situations of bodily abuse she says she suffered at Depp’s arms.
In testimony Monday, surgeon Richard Moore testified concerning the severed finger as jurors noticed grotesque photographs of the harm. He mentioned that Depp described that his palm was down on a bar when it was struck by the bottle.
Moore, who didn’t deal with Depp, testified that Depp’s description is unlikely, largely as a result of his fingernail remained intact. Moore mentioned the fingernail was uncovered, as Depp described the position of his hand, and would have been broken. Moore additionally mentioned there would have been different cuts on the remainder of his hand from the glass that shattered on impression.
Whereas Depp instructed the jury that Heard severed the finger by throwing a vodka bottle, on the time of the accident he instructed individuals and despatched textual content messages saying he’d carried out it to himself. At one level he mentioned the finger had been pinched between stable accordion doorways.
Depp now says he lied to guard Heard. Moore testified that getting the finger pinched in accordion doorways could be per the harm.
The trial is now in its sixth week. Monday’s testimony was comparatively mundane in a trial that has supplied an unsightly glimpse into the couple’s poisonous relationship. There had been an expectation that Heard’s attorneys had been going to name Depp to the stand Monday, however that didn’t happen. Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, mentioned on the finish of the day Monday that they’re nonetheless discussing whether or not to name him.
Jurors had already heard from each Depp and Heard extensively — every was on the stand for 4 days, present process grueling cross-examinations.
Additionally Monday, a psychiatrist testified that Depp’s conduct matches the sample of an individual whose drug and alcohol abuse contributes to home violence.
Depp lawyer Wayne Dennison questioned the ethics and credibility of the psychiatrist’s opinions, provided that he by no means carried out an examination of Depp.
Later Monday, Dennison extensively questioned one other Heard witness, leisure professional Kathryn Arnold, about her assertion that Heard misplaced out on a possible $40 million to $50 million when one other Depp lawyer known as Heard’s claims of abuse a “hoax.” Heard has filed a counterclaim in opposition to Depp primarily based on these statements.
Arnold mentioned she measured Heard’s profession in opposition to “comparable” stars like Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Zendaya to indicate the place Heard’s profession would have gone if Depp lawyer Adam Waldman had not defamed her.
Dennison, in his questioning, scoffed on the notion that Heard was in the identical league as these stars. He was additionally dismissive of Heard’s position as Mera within the “Aquaman” superhero movie franchise, saying that the to-be-released “Aquaman” sequel is extra like a “buddy comedy” than a movie that may characteristic Heard as a romantic lead.
Heard “was on the precipice of a fantastic profession,” Arnold insisted.
The trial has drawn growing public consideration over its size. Individuals camped out in a single day and squabbled over locations in line as they sought to get one of many 100 seats within the courtroom allotted to the general public. Throughout a morning break, one lady professed her love for Depp and requested when he was going to acknowledge that he was the daddy of the newborn she was holding in her arms.
She was faraway from the courtroom.
