Amber Heard and Johnny Depp are both suing one another in a high-profile defamation case in which both stars have had the opportunity to speak out on their previous relationship, a relationship that both allege was tumultuous. Amber Heard this week shared stories detailing her reported abuse of her at the hands of her ex. But one piece of evidence she wanted to enter into trial record was denied by a judge and now her lawyers are speaking out about it.
Here’s the gist. Amber Heard spoke out in court about a time the former Pirates of the Caribbean actor allegedly backhanded her. She noted while on the stand that Depp has a penchant for wearing rings. When the incident reportedly happened, she testified it “feeling like my lip went into my teeth.” She later took a photo of her lip from her.
That photo was obtained by TMZ and shows her with a bloody lip and holding a Post-It note she says Depp left after the incident that reads, “I shall return… XXX.” Heard’s legal team attempted to get the image to be a part of the lengthy defamation case, but a judge ultimately turned the request down after Johnny Depp’s legal team objected. The reason? The photo had not been a part of the discovery phase of the defamation case and was therefore ineligible to be introduced.
There’s been some back and forth between the legal teams of the former Fantastic Beasts star and the current Aquaman 2 star in the press, with both sharing different takes on the court events. Depp’s team has called Amber Heard’s allegedly changing story “convenient.” Meanwhile, speaking of “compelling evidence” like the photo not being admitted, Amber Heard’s legal team shared the following statement:
The panicked Depp’s team is fighting tooth and nail to prevent compelling evidence and photos such as this from being introduced. They continue their losing strategy: distract the jury and demonize the defendant.
Of course, now it seems the image is out there for the court of public opinion if not for those actually involved in the trial. To add, metadata on the image shows that it was taken in 2012. While TMZ notes Heard stated previously in the UK case that she felt the tumult in her relationship with Johnny Depp began in 2013, therapist records reportedly prove the accuracy of the 2012 date .
The defamation trial is on hiatus this week, but is expected to pick back up on May 16th. Amber Heard is set to continue her testimony when the trial resumes. Interest in the case between the two formerly married actors has also hit other facets of popular culture and has brought new attention to varying petitions online and more.