Testimonies conclude in defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
By Sonia Moghe, CNN
After hearing more than 100 hours of testimony over six weeks, jurors have finished hearing evidence in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial, with both sides resting.
As a final witness, Heard returned to the stand for a second time Thursday, where she was grilled about witnesses who testified as part of Depp’s case and contradicted her version of events.
Heard testified that she was not surprised by the number of people who agreed to testify on his behalf.
“I know how many people will come out and say whatever for him. That’s his power,” Heard testified. “That’s why I wrote the op-ed. I was speaking to that phenomenon. How many people will come out in support of him and will fall to his power. He is a very powerful man and people love currying favor with powerful men.”
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million, claiming a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she penned where she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse” defamed the actor and caused him to lose work. Heard has countersued for $100 million for defamation.
“I am harassed, humiliated, threatened every single day. Even just walking into this courtroom, sitting here in front of the world, having the worst parts of my life things I’ve lived through used to humiliate me,” Heard testified. “People want to kill me and they tell me so every day. People want to put my baby in the microwave and they tell me that.”
Jurors were left with Heard’s final words, about the impact the accusations that her claims of abuse were a hoax have left on her life.
“Johnny promised me he would ruin me. That he’d ruin my career, he’d take my life from me. Death was the only way out,” Heard said. “And if I got out, this is what he would do to me. He would make me think of him every single day. He promised me global humiliation, you saw those texts.”
Attorneys for Depp rested their rebuttal case Thursday morning, ending with a hand surgeon expert witness.
Heard’s legal team rested just after noon.
Closing arguments in the case are expected Friday and the jury is expected to begin deliberating Friday afternoon.
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