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Johnny Depp and Amber Heard both emerged with mud on their faces Thursday after a string of witnesses gave unflattering testimony about their union and a marriage counselor called their relationship one of “mutual abuse.”
It was the fourth day of the civil trial in which the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is suing Heard for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she penned for the Washington Post alleging she had been a victim of domestic violence.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in a Fairfax, Va., courtroom.
(Shawn Thew via AP and Evelyn Hockstein via Reuters/ pool)
Although the piece did not name Depp, his legal team has argued that the professional and personal fallout from the allegations have been immense.
Dr. Laurel Anderson, who treated the couple beginning in 2015, described their relationship as dysfunctional and volatile in a videotaped deposition recorded in late February and played for jurors Thursday in the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Virginia.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp arrive at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in 2016.
(Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
“They engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse,” she said, as the warring exes watched from opposite sides of the room. “I know she led on more than one occasion and started it.”
Heard, 35, admitted to Anderson that she had hit, socked and hurled a can at Depp, 58, in various brawls. She told Anderson that Depp had also smacked her and showed her bruises to prove it, the doctor testified.
“It was a point of pride to her if she felt disrespected to initiate a fight,” Anderson explained.
Actress Amber Heard, right, watches video testimony of her former marriage counselor Dr. Laurel Anderson April 14 in a Virginia courtroom.
(Shawn Thew/Pool Photo via AP)
The clinical psychologist described Heard as having a “jackhammer style of talking” that made it difficult for Depp to a get word in. “He was cut off a lot,” she added.
Anderson said Heard had recounted Depp’s verbal assaults during their sessions.
DEPP, AMBER HEARD TRIAL CONTINUES: MARRIAGE COUNSELOR CLAIMS STARS ENGAGED IN ‘MUTUAL ABUSE’
“Mr. Depp says to her, ‘No one likes you, you’re getting fame from me, I’m falling out of love with you, you’re a whore,’” Anderson read from her notes, adding, “She’s reporting how mean they are to one another.”
Earlier Thursday, the videotaped deposition of Heard’s former personal assistant, Kate James, was played for jurors.
Johnny Depp confers with his attorney during his libel trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
(Shawn Thew/Pool Photo via AP)
The ex-staffer elicited chuckles form the gallery when asked if she was paid and replied “very poorly.” James described Heard as extremely demanding, calling her at all hours and on weekends but refusing to pay her overtime.
James, who worked for Heard from 2012 to 2015, said the “Aquaman” actress as “verbally abusive” to her, her late mother and her sister.
“Her mother was terrified of her,” James recalled. “Her poor sister was treated like a dog that you kick.”
Heard, she said, would bombard her with text messages sometimes beginning as early as 2 a.m.
Amber Heard sits in the courtroom as her former personal assistant Kate James testifies via video during Johnny Depp’s libel trial against her.
(Shawn Thew/Pool Photo via AP)
During one confrontation over James’s salary, Heard allegedly went berserk. “She leapt up out of her chair, put her face approximately 4 inches from my face. She was spitting in my face, telling me how dare you ask me for the salary you’re asking for,” recalled the ex-staffer, who was later fired.
An addiction doctor described in a videotaped deposition the aftermath of an explosive argument Heard and Depp had while the actor was filming in Australia.
JOHNNY DEPP, AMBER HEARD TRIAL DAY 3: DEPP’S CHILDHOOD FRIEND LAUGHS, CRIES BEFORE COURTROOM
Dr. David Kipper said he arrived at Depp’s home to find part of his finger ripped off, a house in disarray and “blood on the walls.” Depp had to have his finger reconstructed.
The doctor, who Depp hired to help him get off narcotics, quit after the “Edward Scissorhands” star refused to comply with the treatment plan.
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Heard and Depp divorced in 2016 after 15 months of marriage – but have continued to spar publicly ever since. The thespians have become better known for their failed romance than their movie roles.
The trial is expected to resume on Monday with Kipper returning to the witness stand.
