Johnny Depp trial - live: Actor slams Amber Heard for ‘spewing’ Kate Moss claims

WARNING: This live blog contains allegations of physical and sexual violence that some readers may find distressing.

Johnny Depp’s rebuttal case in the defamation trial of his ex-wife Amber Heard is close to concluding at the court in Fairfax, Virginia.

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. She is pursuing a counterclaim of $100m, of which a motion to dismiss was denied by Judge Penney Azcarate.

The rebuttal case for the counterclaim will be heard on Thursday, and closing arguments are scheduled for Friday before the jury deliberates.

On Wednesday, supermodel and Depp-ex Kate Moss testified the actor did not push her down some stairs in the 1990s as had been rumoured and mentioned in testimony. Heard’s team hit back following her testimony.

Depp returned to the stand and denied knowledge of his attorney’s defamatory statements about his ex-wife. The actor called her allegations of abuse “unimaginably brutal, cruel, and all false”.

Later, graphic texts written by the actor about Heard were shown to the court and there were tense exchanges with counsel.

Key points

• Kate Moss denies rumour Johnny Depp pushed her down the stairs

• Amber Heard team hits back after Kate Moss denies claim Johnny Depp pushed her down stairs

• Psychologist hired by Depp discredits Heard’s PTSD diagnosis saying she ‘frequently feigned’ symptoms

• Depp denies involvement in Waldman statements calling Amber Heard abuse claims a ‘hoax’

• Heard’s abuse allegations ‘unimaginably brutal, cruel, and all false’, says Depp

• Depp said Amber Heard was ‘begging for global humiliation’ after she filed for restraining order

• Depp suggests Amber Heard attorney fabricated text messages in heated cross-examination

Watch: Depp chuckles as he says he ‘misses’ the tip of his finger that was severed in fight with Heard

06:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Depp denies involvement in Waldman statements calling Heard abuse claims a ‘hoax’

04:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Johnny Depp has returned to the witness stand to give more testimony in his multi-million dollar defamation trial against Amber Heard.

Mr Depp was called back for his own team’s rebuttal on Wednesday (25 May) and his direct testimony began with questions about his former attorney Adam Waldman.

Read more:

Johnny Depp returns to the stand in trial against Amber Heard

Psychologist hired by Depp discredits Heard’s PTSD diagnosis saying symptoms are ‘frequently feigned’

04:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The psychologist hired by Johnny Depp’s legal team, Dr Shannon Curry, has returned to the stand to refute Amber Heard’s diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Testifying for Amber Heard’s defence on 3 May, clinical psychologist Dr Dawn Hughes said that the actress does suffer from PTSD stemming from domestic violence.

“I diagnosed Ms Heard with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder… and the cause was the intimate partner violence by Mr Depp,” Dr Hughes said at the time.

On Wednesday, Dr Curry was called to the stand by Mr Depp’s team and said her testimony “will be used to rebut” Dr Hughes’ evidence.

Read more:

Psychologist hired by Johnny Depp discredits Amber Heard’s PTSD diagnosis

Heard team hits back after Kate Moss denies claim Depp pushed her down stairs

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A source close to Amber Heard has offered a strong response to Kate Moss denying a claim that Johnny Depp pushed her down the stairs during their relationship in the 1990s.

Megan Sheets reports:

Amber Heard team hits back after Kate Moss denies claim Johnny Depp pushed her

Kate Moss denies rumour Johnny Depp pushed her down the stairs

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

In one of the briefest pieces of testimony in the entire trial, Kate Moss confirms she had a romantic relationship with Depp between 1994 and 1998 and says he did not push her downstairs during a vacation the couple took.

She says she slipped on wet steps and hurt her back and Depp got her medical attention.

Moss says Depp never pushed her down any steps.

Kate Moss denies Amber Heard claim Johnny Depp pushed her down the stairs

Court hears how Elon Musk made $250K donation to artist non-profit in Heard’s name

02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Elon Musk anonymously donated $250,000 to an artist non-profit in Amber Heard’s name, a witness in the ongoing Johnny Depp trial told the court.

Appearing as a witness for Mr Depp via video deposition on Tuesday (24 May), Jennifer Howell told the jury that she received an anonymous check for $250,000 “around 2018” for her nonprofit The Art of Elysium. The check reportedly said that it was in honour of Ms Heard.

Read more:

Elon Musk made $250K donation to artist non-profit in Amber Heard’s name, court hears

What did the Washington Post op-ed actually say?

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The current court case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard centres around an opinion piece Heard wrote in 2018 for The Washington Post, titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

Depp has sued ex-wife Heard for alleged defamation over the article. While Depp was not named, he claims her allegations the piece made it difficult for him to land movie roles.

But what did the article – which remains online at The Washington Post – actually say?

What did Amber Heard’s Washington Post op-ed actually say?

Most viral moments from the media circus defamation trial

Thursday 26 May 2022 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former husband and wife Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are approaching the end of their bitter defamation trial in Virginia, which has attracted headlines across the world over the last six weeks as well as a feverish international audience online.

Fans of the Hollywood actors have closely followed proceedings from the Fairfax County courthouse on TikTok and Instagram, obsessing over the testimonies offered, cutting clips of their favourite exchanges, making unlikely stars of the attorneys involved and cheerleading for their preferred side.

Here is an overview of some of the many viral episodes from the marathon trial as it enters its final days.

The most viral moments from the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial

Will Amber Heard ever act again?

Wednesday 25 May 2022 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

On Monday (23 May), entertainment industry expert Kathryn Arnold testified that she found the op-ed had no impact on Depp’s career, but the surrounding scandal had cost Heard up to $50m in earnings.

But what impact could the trial and its fallout on her career going forward?

Will Amber Heard act again? A look at actor’s scheduled films amid Johnny Depp trial

Will Johnny Depp ever act again?

Wednesday 25 May 2022 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Throughout the case, Depp and his legal representatives have referred to the actor’s career being negatively impacted as a result of the claims.

Though his future presence in Hollywood productions is unconfirmed as of yet, Depp is reported to have at least one acting role in the pipeline.

Read more:

Will Johnny Depp act again? A look at the actor’s scheduled projects

Heard’s team accuses Johnny Depp of trying to get her fired from Aquaman

Wednesday 25 May 2022 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Johnny Depp has been accused of trying to get Amber Heard fired from the Aquaman franchise.

The actor returned to the witness stand on Wednesday (25 May) to give more testimony in his multi-million dollar defamation trial against ex-wife Heard. He was called back for his own team’s rebuttal.

During his testimony, Depp was challenged as to whether he attempted to get Heard fired from Aquaman.

Annabel Nugent reports:

Johnny Depp accused of trying to get Amber Heard fired as texts are shown in court

Counter-claim rebuttal set for Thursday

Wednesday 25 May 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

With closing arguments still scheduled for Friday, Thursday will be devoted to Heard’s counter-claim rebuttal.

Depp grilled about photos from honeymoon where he claims Heard punched him

Wednesday 25 May 2022 22:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Johnny Depp was grilled about the photos taken during his honeymoon with Amber Heard, in which he claims she punched him.

On Wednesday (25 May), Mr Depp returned to the stand as a rebuttal witness.

Ms Heard’s lawyer Ben Rottenborn began the cross-examination by questioning Mr Depp about the pictures taken during his 2015 honeymoon on the Orient Express from Bangkok to Singapore.

Inga Parkel reports.

Johnny Depp grilled about honeymoon photos where he claims Amber Heard punched him

Wednesday 25 May 2022 21:51 , Oliver O'Connell

ICYMI: Depp’s metadata expert claimed Heard’s photos had been edited.

Depp said Heard was ‘begging for global humiliation’ after she filed for restraining order

Wednesday 25 May 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

In a 2016 text shared in the court, Johnny Depp said Amber Heard was “begging for global humiliation” after she filed for a restraining order.

The text was allegedly sent on 15 August 2016, according to court documents – a few months after Ms Heard sought a restraining order against Mr Depp in late May that same year.

Read more:

Johnny Depp said Amber Heard was ‘begging for humiliation’ after restraining order

Wednesday 25 May 2022 21:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Azcarate releases the jury early.

Tomorrow’s testimony will focus on rebuttal for Heard’s counter-claim against Depp.

Court resumes at 9am on Thursday.

The legal teams will remain behind to finalise jury instructions to ensure Judge Azcarate has them tonight.

Wednesday 25 May 2022 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

There was a short cross-examination from Ms Bredehoft in which she accused Ms Leonard of just wanting to be on TV in a similar way in which she said Mr Tremaine wanted his 15 minutes of fame.

Ms Leonard said that was not the case.

There were no further questions from the Depp team.

New Witness: Beverly Leonard, former police officer

Wednesday 25 May 2022 21:35 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Beverly Leonard, a former law enforcement officer who worked at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2009.

She witnessed Heard grab her then partner’s arm and pull a necklace off her. That partner was Tasya van Ree.

Ms Leonard went over to intervene and deescalate the situation and said Heard smelled of alcohol and had blurry eyes.

Depp calls Heard’s abuse allegations ‘unimaginably brutal, cruel, and all false’

Wednesday 25 May 2022 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Giving rebuttal testimony in the defamation case he brought against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp told the court listening to her testimony regarding alleged abuse was “unimaginably brutal” and what she said in the witness box was “all false”.

In direct examination by his own legal team, Mr Depp was asked what it has been like to hear Ms Heard’s testimony during the trial.

Read more:

Johnny Depp calls Amber Heard’s abuse allegations ‘brutal, cruel, and all false’

Wednesday 25 May 2022 21:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session and the jury is shown a short video clip showing the difference between a photo taken on an iPhone and one that has passed through editing in the Photos app.

The image shows the side of Heard’s cheek. The colour and tone of the pictures are different and a red mark on her skin appears more prominent in one over the other.

Depp claims he called Warner Bros about Heard’s Aquaman role to ‘curb their worries’

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Johnny Depp has disputed Amber Heard’s claims that he did not assist in helping her land her Aquaman role.

The actor returned to the witness stand on Wednesday (25 May) to give more testimony in his multi-million dollar defamation trial against ex-wife Heard. The Pirates of the Caribbean star was called back for his own team’s rebuttal.

Asked by his legal team whether he recalls Heard testifying that he “did not assist her in getting her role in Aquaman”, Depp replied: “It’s not exactly true.”

Johnny Depp says he called Warner Bros about Amber Heard’s role in Aquaman

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Court breaks for the afternoon recess.

The trial resumes at 4pm.

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Neumeister says that he looked at many different versions of a photo of Heard with a bruised arm.

In an example, he shows different file sizes indicate that similar photo have all been through some kind of transformation.

He goes on to say that the photos have been through an editing program as evidenced by their metadata.

New Witness: Norbert (Bryan) Neumeister, metadata expert.

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:26 , Oliver O'Connell

A new rebuttal witness for Depp’s team takes the stand.

Norbert (Bryan) Neumeister is a metadata expert and has been asked to testify about the metadata of the photos involved in the case to see if they have been altered in any way.

Depp denies involvement in Waldman statements calling Heard abuse claims a ‘hoax’

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Johnny Depp has returned to the witness stand to give more testimony in his multi-million dollar defamation trial against Amber Heard.

Mr Depp was called back for his own team’s rebuttal on Wednesday (25 May) and his direct testimony began with questions about his former attorney Adam Waldman.

Mr Waldman’s statements – calling Ms Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse against Mr Depp a “hoax” and an “ambush” – are at the centre of Ms Heard’s $100m countersuit against Mr Depp.

Read more:

Johnny Depp denies involvement in lawyer’s ‘hoax’ remarks about Amber Heard

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:13 , Oliver O'Connell

On cross-examination, Elaine Bredehoft accuses Mr Tremaine of perhaps wanting his 15 minutes of fame. He denies this and appears to accuse her of the same.

Mr Tremaine concedes he does not know who sent the video in to TMZ.

In redirect, Camille Vasquez asks him why he reached out to the Depp legal team. He says he hoped to help with the timeline of the acquisition and publication of the video.

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:03 , Oliver O'Connell

He worked on two other Heard stories, both in August 2016.

In the first, she was to be seen arriving at a law office to give video deposition.

The second was an emailed dropbox link to the video showing Depp slamming cabinets that was secretly filmed by Heard.

On the same date, he received a top that Heard would be arriving at LAX and a camera was dispatched to capture her arrival.

He also testifies that the video TMZ received was shorter than that shown at the trial. Their copy did not include Heard setting up the camera at start, nor her laughing at the end.

Depp fans delight over his smile during Kate Moss testimony

Wednesday 25 May 2022 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Viewers noticed Johnny Depp “smiling” as Kate Moss took the stand in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.

Moss testified for only a few minutes on Wednesday (25 May) via video link, during which she denied Heard’s claim that Depp had pushed her down the stairs in the Nineties.

Johnny Depp fans delight over his smile during Kate Moss testimony

Wednesday 25 May 2022 19:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Tremaine says he first worked on a Heard tip on 27 May 2016 when she was at the courthouse getting the temporary restraining order.

They intended to show her leaving the building at which point she would stop and show the alleged bruise on her face.

The tip came from a news producer who had verified the tip and therefore he sent a camera crew to capture the footage/image.

New Witness: Morgan Tremaine, former TMZ employee

Wednesday 25 May 2022 19:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Morgan Tremaine, formerly of TMZ, is now testifying.

The celebrity news outlet attempted to stop Mr Tremaine from testifying.

He begins by saying he was a field assignment manager at TMZ in 2016. It was his job to dispatch paparazzi to “hot spots” where celebrities would be, through tips TMZ received.

Tips would often come through individuals directly or indirectly involved with the celebrity in question.