UNITED STATES: The high-profile defamation case involving Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard is set to gain a new celebrity witness in the form of British model Kate Moss.
Moss, Depp’s former girlfriend, will make a video appearance on Wednesday.
Depp’s legal team has called Moss, who dated the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star from 1994 to 1997, to testify, according to the New York Post and other US media.
Heard, 36, mentioned a reported incident in which Depp allegedly pushed Moss down a flight of stairs during her testimony earlier this month.
Depp’s lawyers were able to use that reference to call Moss as a witness to address the allegation.
Depp, 58, sued Heard in December 2018 for an op-ed in The Washington Post in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp sued Heard for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages. Heard, who had a starring role in “Aquaman,” did not name Depp in the op-ed.
Heard, who was born in Texas, countersued for $100 million, claiming she was subjected to “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.
Depp denied ever striking Heard or any other woman during his four days on the witness stand, claiming that she was the one who was frequently violent.
The seven-member jury hearing the case heard testimony from two doctors called as witnesses by Heard’s team and a Hollywood industry expert on Monday.
An orthopaedic surgeon, Richard Moore, said it was unlikely that Depp’s finger injury during a fight with Heard occurred in the way that Depp claimed.
Depp claimed the tip of his right middle finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him while the couple was filming the fifth installment of the “Pirates” franchise in Australia.
After reviewing the medical records, Moore determined that the wound did not fit that explanation.
According to psychiatrist David Spiegel, Depp had “narcissistic traits” and behavior that indicated he had a substance use disorder.
When asked about the American Psychiatric Association’s so-called Goldwater Rule, which states that it is “unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination,” Spiegel got into a heated exchange with one of Depp’s lawyers.
Although Spiegel did not personally examine Depp, he stated that his opinions as an expert witness were valid.
Entertainment expert Kathryn Arnold also testified on behalf of Heard, claiming that Depp’s habitual “tardiness, drinking, and drug abuse” had harmed his career and his ability to pursue this and other lawsuits.
“He’s causing his own demise,” Arnold said.
Arnold claimed that Adam Waldman, Depp’s former lawyer, made allegedly defamatory statements about Heard, which had harmed her career.
Following her starring role in “Aquaman,” Heard’s career was “on the verge of a meteoric rise,” but it was hindered by “a lot of negative publicity,” she said.
“Her world has been silenced in terms of opportunities,” she added, estimating that Heard has suffered between $45 and $50 million in lost film and TV roles and endorsements.
Earlier in the trial, Depp’s lawyers called experts to testify that the actor had lost millions due to the abuse allegations, including a $22.5 million payday for the sixth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
The actor filed the defamation suit in the United States after losing a separate libel case against The Sun in London in November 2020 for calling him a “wife-beater.”
Depp, a three-time Academy Award nominee, married Heard in February 2015. Two years later, their divorce was finalized.
The case will go to the jury after closing arguments on Friday, according to Judge Penney Azcarate.
