FAIRFAX, United States — Lawyers for
Amber Heard, after six weeks of scathing claims and counterclaims of domestic
violence, rested their defense on Tuesday in the defamation suit filed by her
ex-husband Johnny Depp.
اضافة اعلان
Depp’s attorneys responded by asking that Heard’s
countersuit against the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star be dismissed but the
judge hearing the case in
Virginia, near the US capital, declined to do so.
Judge Penney Azcarate said enough evidence has been
presented for the seven-person jury to weigh the merits of Depp’s defamation
suit against Heard and her countersuit against him.
The 58-year-old Depp filed suit against Heard over
an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she
described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Heard, 36, who had a starring role in “
Aquaman,” did
not name Depp in the op-ed, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic
abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages.
The Texas-born Heard countersued, asking for $100
million and claiming she suffered “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his
hands.
Depp, during his four days on the witness stand,
denied ever striking Heard or any other woman and claimed that she was the one
who was frequently violent.
Heard testified about a number of occasions during
which she said she was assaulted by an intoxicated Depp.
After the judge denied the dismissal motion by
Depp’s attorneys, lawyers for the “
Pirates” star called their first rebuttal
witness.
Walter Hamada, president of DC Comics-based film
production at Warner Brothers, testified about Heard’s contract with the studio
for the “Aquaman” series.
Heard’s legal team has claimed her role and
compensation for “Aquaman 2” was harmed by allegedly defamatory remarks made
about her by Depp’s former attorney, Adam Waldman.
Waldman’s statements form the basis of the
counterclaim for defamation filed by Heard, who earned $1 million for “Aquaman”
and $2 million for “Aquaman 2”.
Hamada said Heard’s compensation for “Aquaman 2” was
not affected by anything said by Waldman.
He said it was not the practice of Warner Brothers
to renegotiate contracts although he acknowledged that the studio did so for
the other “Aquaman” star, Jason Momoa.
Hamada said there had been “conversations” about
recasting Heard’s role in “Aquaman 2” but that was because of a perceived lack
of “chemistry” between her and co-star Momoa.
“The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two
leads to not have chemistry,” he said. “You know it when you see it.”
On Monday, a Hollywood expert called by Heard’s
team, Kathryn Arnold, said Heard’s career was set for a “meteoric rise” after
“Aquaman” but has been stymied by “negative publicity” surrounding her
accusations against Depp.
Arnold estimated that Heard has suffered $45–$50
million in lost film and TV roles and endorsements.
Depp’s lawyers
put experts on the stand who testified that he has lost millions because of the
abuse accusations, including a $22.5-million payday for a sixth installment of
“Pirates”.
Depp’s lawyers also called a psychiatrist, Richard
Shaw, on Tuesday to rebut the testimony of a psychiatrist, David Spiegel, who
took the stand on Monday on behalf of Heard.
Spiegel told the jury that Depp displayed
“narcissistic traits,” had possible cognitive issues and a substance use
disorder.
Shaw said Spiegel was not in a position to render
such opinions because he had never personally evaluated Depp and was in
violation of the
American Psychiatric Association’s so-called Goldwater Rule.
The Goldwater rule says it is “unethical for a
psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an
examination.”
British model
Kate Moss, 48, Depp’s former
girlfriend, is scheduled to testify by video link on Wednesday.
Azcarate, the judge, has scheduled closing arguments for
Friday.
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