Actor Johnny Depp, testifying in a defamation case against his former wife Amber Heard, says she was the one who became violent in their relationship and that her false accusations cost him “nothing less than everything”.
In a second day on the witness stand in a Virginia courtroom on Wednesday, Depp said the couple had frequent arguments that included “demeaning name calling” and “bullying” by Heard.
“It seemed like pure hatred for me,” Depp said.
“If I stayed to argue, eventually, I was sure it was going to escalate into violence, and oftentimes it did.”
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star, 58, is suing Heard, 35, for $US50 million ($67 million), alleging she accused him of abuse.
Depp said it was Heard who would “strike out” with a slap or shove. During one argument, Heard threw a vodka bottle at Depp’s hand, cutting off the top of his right middle finger and exposing bone, he said.
The actor said he felt like he was suffering some kind of breakdown and began writing on the wall with blood from the injury. He said he wrote reminders of “lies” Heard had told him.
“She has a need for violence. It erupts out of nowhere,” he said.
In a similar legal case in Britain, Heard denied throwing a bottle and severing Depp’s finger. She said she threw things only to escape when he was beating her, and once punched him because she feared he would push her sister down a flight of stairs.
On Wednesday, Depp described an incident in which he said Heard repeatedly punched him. The actor said he put his arms around her to calm her, and their foreheads touched.
According to Depp, Heard accused him of “head butting” her and breaking her nose, returning minutes later with a tissue she said was stained with blood. Depp said he later retrieved the tissue and found the red stain came from nail polish.
The actor said he would remove himself from heated arguments, sometimes locking himself in a bedroom or bathroom, and never struck Heard.
“My main goal was to retreat,” he said.
Depp has accused Heard of defaming him when she penned a December 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse.
The article did not mention Depp by name, but his lawyer Benjamin Chew told jurors it was clear Heard was referencing the Hollywood leading man.
Depp said Heard’s allegations cost him “nothing less than everything.” A new Pirates movie was put on hold, and Depp was dropped from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, a Harry Potter spinoff.
“When the allegations were made, were rapidly circling the globe, telling people I was a drunken, cocaine-fuelled menace who beat women – suddenly in my 50s – it’s over,” he said.
“I lost then. No matter the outcome of this trial, I will carry this for the rest of my days.”
Lawyers for Heard, who started their cross-examination of Depp late on Wednesday, have argued that she told the truth and that her opinion was protected free speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment. In opening arguments, Heard’s lawyers said Depp physically and sexually assaulted her while abusing drugs and alcohol.
A state court judge in Fairfax County, Virginia, is overseeing the trial, which is in its second week and is expected to last six weeks.
Less than two years ago, Depp lost a libel case against British tabloid The Sun, which labelled him a “wife beater”. A London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.
Depp’s lawyers have said they filed the US case in Fairfax County, outside the nation’s capital, because the Washington Post is printed at a facility there. The Post is not a defendant in the case.
Depp and Heard, known for her roles in Aquaman and Justice League, were married for about two years. Their divorce was finalised in 2017.
Heard has brought her own libel claim against Depp, saying he smeared her by calling her a liar. Heard’s counterclaim, seeking $US100 million ($A134 million), will be decided as part of the trial.
-AAP
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