Security video shows James Franco visiting Amber Heard at penthouse
WARNING: This live blog contains allegations of physical and sexual violence that some readers may find distressing.
Following the testimony and cross-examination of Amber Heard, the court has heard from witnesses in her defence in the defamation trial against her brought by ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Heard is being sued by Depp for $50m for implying he abused her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Although she didn’t name him, he claims her allegations impacted his ability to work.
Today, in a pre-recorded deposition, Heard’s former friend Raquel Pennington testified seeing Heard’s injuries after a December 2015 fight with Depp, and intervening in a separate 2016 altercation at the penthouses in which they lived shortly before Heard filed for divorce. She says she feared for her friend’s safety. Josh Drew, Ms Pennington’s ex, was there that night and detailed damage to the penthouses and Depp screaming in his face.
Heard’s sister told the jury of Depp’s drug and alcohol use and separate incidents involving holding a dog out of a car window and hurling clothes racks down the stairs during a row. The court also heard from friend Elizabeth Marz, and Heard’s acting coach and makeup artist.
Johnny Depp's lawyer accuses Amber Heard of ‘staging’ photo of cocaine on table
Judge Penney Azcarate brings today’s court session to a close for the day.
Tomorrow court resumes at 9am.
Ms Sexton says Heard would start acting classes in tears after being made to cry by Depp and would sometimes hear muffled arguments.
“I had to block out time cushions around [the classes],” she said in her pre-recorded testimony. “Because she would be sobbing when we started and we couldn’t work.”
She estimated this happened between 80 to 90 per cent of the time they met for sessions.
Ms Sexton said that ironically Heard did not find it easy to cry on cue in her acting.
She said she never saw Depp hit Heard or throw items at her, but testified she saw him “come at her” at the house on Sweetzer.
Ms Sexton said if she had seen Depp hit Heard she would have called the cops.
ICYMI: Depp smiles as Heard’s lawyer impersonates his voice
Johnny Depp cracked a smile as Amber Heard’s lawyer appeared to do an impression of the Hollywood star’s voice during the former couple’s defamation trial.
Mr Depp smirked with amusement as attorney Elaine Bredehoft attempted to mimick the actor as she asked Ms Heard a question about a tape her ex-husband had spoken on.
Read more:
Elaine Bredehoft mimicked actor as she asked Ms Heard a question about tape her ex-husband had spoken on
New Witness: Kristy Sexton, acting coach
A final witness for the day, again by video deposition: Kristy Sexton.
Ms Sexton is Amber Heard’s acting coach who also testified as a witness during Depp’s UK libel case with The Sun newspaper.
During the libel case, Ms Sexton claimed that Depp was controlling over Heard’s career and dictated the roles she was allowed to take.
He didn’t want her doing roles involving sex and was “very concerned” about her working with James Franco, she said.
She also testified that Depp also did not want his wife modelling and told her it made her look like a “cheap whore” when she was part of a Guess campaign.
Ms Sexton also testified that Heard had confided that her husband “will never let me go” and would “destroy” her rather than let her leave their marriage.
Ms Inglessis describes covering the discolouration and bruises on Heard’s face ahead of her appearance on The Late Late Show in December 2015.
“We covered the discolouration, the bruises with a slightly heavier concealer. One that has a little more of a peach undertone which I normally don’t use on Amber but peach cancels blue so I did that under the eyes,” she testified.
“Although Amber always has a red lip, it’s her signature look, I remember clearly talking that we had no other option that night than to use a really red lipstick to make sure we could cover up the injuries on her lip.”
Asked if she was able to cover up all the injuries, Ms Inglessis replies, yes.
New Witness: Melanie Inglessis, makeup artist
Melanie Inglessis is now testifying. She is Amber Heard’s former make-up artist.
During Johnny Depp’s UK libel case with The Sun newspaper, she testified that she had used make-up to cover up bruises on Heard’s face before she appeared on James Corden’s The Late Late Show in December 2015.
Heard has claimed the night before her appearance on the show she was physically abused by Depp, resulting in a bruised face and a bleeding lip.
Heard’s sister says Depp asked her to sign NDA after he hit her and trashed closet
Amber Heard’s sister has claimed that Johnny Depp asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement after he allegedly hit her during a violent attack on the Aquaman actress.
Whitney Henriquez testified in court in Fairfax, Virginia, on Wednesday about an incident where her former brother-in-law allegedly struck her in the back, hurled a Red Bull can at a friend, grabbed Ms Heard by the hair and hit her before trashing Ms Heard’s closet.
The incident, which became known as “the staircase incident”, allegedly took place in March 2015 inside the downtown Los Angeles penthouse where Ms Heard and Mr Depp lived together.
Rachel Sharp has the story:
Whitney Henriquez testified on Wednesday that her former brother-in-law struck her in the back during a violent encounter with her sister
Ms Marz describes Heard as crying and being dishevelled, with a red and swollen face.
She recalls wine spilled in the hallway and earlier had seen Depp spill wine.
New Witness: Elizabeth Marz
Court resumes with a new witness, Elizabeth Marz, appearing by pre-recorded video deposition.
Ms Marz was present during the 21 May 2016 incident and recalls Depp being “sloppy” and “combative” and she was scared of him.
She recalls him mumbling: “Get your bitch out of here.”
