Depp bringing a libel case against the British tabloid The Sun for an article that referred to him as a "wife beater."
Depp is currently suing Heard for publishing a Washington Post op-ed in 2018 in which she, without explicitly naming Depp, detailed being a victim of domestic abuse prior to her divorce in 2016. The high-profile defamation trial began earlier this week and since then, each side has come out with explosive accusations against the other. Heard has accused her ex-husband of sexual assault, while Depp's lawyers maintain that Heard falsified the abuse allegations in order to advance her career.
Now, the latest development to come out of the ongoing defamation trial is from Laurel Avis Anderson’s testimony, a therapist who worked with the couple in 2015. During the trial, Anderson testified to jurors that the former couple engaged in "mutual abuse" and that Depp could be "triggered" by Heard. Read a portion of Anderson's testimony below, per Variety:
I thought he had been well controlled. With Ms. Heard, he was triggered. They engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse.
During her testimony, Anderson revealed additional details about the couple's therapy sessions, which took place in late 2015. These counseling sessions were often highly contentious and saw both of them threaten to walk out at times, which Anderson attributes to the couple's "terrible" communication skills. According to Anderson, both parties were guilty of initiating fights, and Heard would sometimes hit Depp first.
Anderson's testimony will likely renew outcry over Warner Bros.' decision to fire Depp from his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts series, while Heard has remained onboard the DCEU as Meera in Aquaman, also from WB. Instead, producers have expressed for Heard's involvement, which many consider to be hypocrisy on the part of the studio. If one thing is clear, it's that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were engaged in an incredibly toxic relationship and it would be beneficial for both parties to move on. However, the defamation trial is expected to last a total of six weeks, and will likely be rife with more accusations, denials, and other controversies.
Source: Variety
