Johnny Depp trial – live: Witness ejected from court as Amber Heard called ‘scum’ in ex’s texts

One of the most jarring moments of the trial thus far came on Wednesday, when the jury was shown a text message in which Depp called Heard a “c*nt” and a “rotting corpse”.

Depp had sent the message to a friend, Isaac Baruch, who was grilled on the witness stand by Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft.

“Do you recall Mr Depp ever telling you that he hoped that Amber Heard’s rotting corpse is decomposing in the f*****g trunk of a Honda Civic?” Ms Bredehoft asked.

Mr Baruch pointed to a monitor on which the message was displayed and said: “Yeah. Well, I say yeah – I’m seeing it here, so obviously, yeah, it was said. It was written.”

The Independent’s Clemence Michallon reports:

Here are some of the scenes inside the courtroom this week:

Before the trial kicked off, Depp and Heard each published a list of witnesses their teams may wish to call upon.

The lists feature a number of very well-known names, including James Franco, Elon Musk, Paul Bettany – and the actors themselves.

Clémence Michallon takes a look at who could be called to testify and why:

Over the first three days of testimony, the court listened to a string of witnesses describing Depp and Heard’s fraught relationship.

If you’re just joining The Independent’s coverage of the trial opposing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, here’s what you need to know:

Depp filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Heard in March 2019, alleging that she defamed him in an op-ed she wrote in 2018 for The Washington Post.

The op-ed, which ran in December of that year, is titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

Depp isn’t mentioned by name in the op-ed, but his legal team has argued that it contains a “clear implication that Mr Depp is a domestic abuser”, which it says is “categorically and demonstrably false”.

Clémence Michallon explains:

There will be no testimony heard today in Fairfax County’s district courthouse, with the trial set to resume for a fourth day on Monday.

In announcing the hiatus on Thursday afternoon, Judge Penney Azcarate gave an extensive reminder to the jury that they cannot research, read, or speak about the trial in any way over their three-day weekend.

She also reminded Depp and Heard not to give interviews or post on social media regarding the trial.

“I’m sure I’m not alone in having previously worshiped a now-problematic star – it seems as if all of our idols fall short eventually, although some in more controversial and damaging ways than others,” writes Harriet Williamson.

Katherine “Kate” James has addressed the extreme working conditions she allegedly endured as a former personal assistant to Amber Heard.

During Johnny Depp‘s defamation trial against his ex-wife on Thursday (14 April), Heard’s personal assistant answered questions – in a pre-recorded video deposition completed in February – regarding her past employment with the film star, which she said lasted from 2012 to 2015 .

a friend of Johnny Depp was ejected as a witness while testifying in the defamation trial opposing Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Gina Deuters, who is married to a member of Depp’s staff and is herself a close friend of the actor’s, gave testimony on Thursday (14 April) at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia.

However, the evidence she submitted is no longer admissible.

Clémence Michallon reports on what happened next.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard‘s former marriage counselor told a courtroom the couple engaged in what she saw as “mutual abuse”.

Dr Laurel Anderson was called as a witness on Thursday (14 April) as part of the defamation trial opposing Depp and Heard in Fairfax, Virginia. She was asked about some of her past sessions of her with the pair.

Clemence Michallon reports.