By IVY BROWN, GRACE WONG and CHANLEY PAINTER Court TV
In 2022, actors and ex-spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard squared off in a Virginia courtroom. Depp sued Heard for defamation after she wrote about domestic abuse in an op-ed that appeared in The Washington Post. Depp wasn’t named in the article, but claimed the piece implied he abused her, and as a result, he lost movie roles and faced public scorn. Heard countersued Depp, claiming his former attorney Adam Waldman defamed her by publicly calling her claims of abuse “a hoax.”
Actors Amber Heard and Johnny Depp watch as the jury leaves the courtroom for a lunch break at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
The six-week trial, the focus of an upcoming Netflix docuseries, featured damming testimony from those closest to the celebrities. Jurors, and the public, witnessed the former couple’s tumultuous relationship through recorded cellphone videos and surveillance footage. Dozens of witnesses, including relatives and professional colleagues, testified to their toxic relationship. Depp and Heard also took the stand themselves, testifying to their version of events, through the course of their relationship.
After nearly 13 hours of deliberations over three days, the jury returned verdicts that mostly favored Depp. Heard was awarded $2M, while Depp was awarded $10M in compensatory damages and $5M in punitive damages. The punitive damages were reduced to $350K due to a state cap.
Heard initially sought to have the verdict thrown out, but ultimately settled for $1M in December 2022. In June 2023, Depp announced he would split the settlement among five charities.
Here’s a look at key moments from the trial of Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard, available to stream uncensored and gavel-to-gavel in the Trial Archives.
Battle of the Psychologists
Each side called multiple mental health experts throughout the trial, who testified to their own diagnosis of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. However, two key witnesses were Dr. Shannon Curry and Dr. Dawn Hughes.
Dr. Curry, called by Depp’s team, testified that Heard had suffered from borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. Dr. Hughes, called by Heard’s team, testified the actress suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by intimate partner violence, at the hands of Depp.
Isaac Baruch Captivates Courtroom
Isaac Baruch speaks in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Wednesday, April 13, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)
The jury heard testimony from dozens of friends, family members and colleagues of Depp and Heard, but perhaps the most captivating witness was Isaac Baruch, an artist and longtime friend of Depp. Baruch testified he lived in a neighboring penthouse apartment owned by Depp in the Eastern Columbia Building, where the ex-couple primarily resided, in Los Angeles. An animated Baruch said he never saw Depp be violent against Heard, and stopped talking to Heard, after she made up claims of abuse.
When asked if he was angry with Heard on cross-examination, Baruch charismatically replied, “It’s six years. Am I angry anymore? What I am is tired and I want this all to end. For her to go heal, him to go heal. So many people have been affected by this malicious lie that she started and she created, and it’s gone out the door and around the world. I can’t even paint anymore.”
Amber Heard’s Testimony
Defendant Amber Heard took the stand for four days to detail her version of events in the former pair’s relationship, multiple instances of alleged abuse and her ex-husband’s drug and alcohol use. On the first day, Heard described to the jury the first time Depp allegedly hit her. She claimed Depp slapped her three times after she laughed at one of his tattoos. Through tears she said, “I knew it was wrong and I knew that I had to leave him, and that’s what broke my heart because I didn’t want to leave him.”
This combination of photos shows actor Johnny Depp testifying at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., on April 21, 2022, left, and actor Amber Heard testifying in the same courtroom on May 26, 2022. (AP Photo)
She later accused Depp of sexually assaulting her with a broken liquor bottle while they were in Australia, the same trip where Depp lost part of his finger.
Johnny Depp’s Testimony
Plaintiff Johnny Depp also testified for four days, denying violence against Heard. Perhaps one of the most talked about moments of Depp’s time on the stand was an incident in which he accused Heard of taking a “grumpy” on his side of their bed following an argument. Heard later denied defecating on their bed and suggested their dog, Boo, had bowel control problems.
Another contentious action brought up during Depp’s time on the stand is his text exchange with Paul Bettany, in which he said, “Let’s burn her!!!” To which Bettany responded, “Having thought it through I don’t think we should burn Amber…” Depp replies, “Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will (expletive) her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.”
Kate Moss & Ellen Barkin
The jury heard conflicting testimony from two of Depp’s ex-girlfriends, also high-profile celebrities.
British supermodel Kate Moss, who dated Depp from 1994-1998, testified that while vacationing at a resort in Jamaica with Depp, she slipped and fell down a set of stairs made slick by a rainstorm. Moss screamed and hurt her back. She testified Depp carried her to their hotel room and sought medical treatment for her. Moss also testified that Depp never pushed, kicked, or threw her down any set of stairs, as media outlets reported.
Actress Ellen Barkin, whose deposition was entered by Heard’s team, also dated Depp in the 1990s. Barkin testified Depp was drunk and high “a lot” during their relationship. She claimed Depp was a jealous lover, but did not say he abused her. She testified that Depp once threw a wine bottle across the room during a fight with his assistant and friends. The bottle was thrown in her direction, but did not hit her, she testified.
The Eleventh Hour Witness
In their rebuttal case, Depp’s team called former TMZ employee Morgan Tremaine to ask how the media outlet received certain clips and photos of Depp and Heard.
In regards to a viral clip of Depp smashing kitchen cabinets, which was also presented at trial, Tremaine testified someone emailed TMZ a different, longer version that had Heard snickering at the end of the video.
Actor Amber Heard hugs her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft after the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)
Tremaine also testified that TMZ was tipped off to when Heard would be at the Los Angeles county courthouse filing a Temporary Restraining Order and when she would be giving her deposition.
The Verdict
After nearly 13 hours of deliberations over three days, the jury returned verdicts that mostly favored Depp. Heard was awarded $2M, while Depp was awarded $10M in compensatory damages and $5M in punitive damages. The punitive damages were reduced to $350K due to a state cap.
