The court has heard a number of recordings on Monday from the former couple’s marriage
Johnny Depp has appeared to laugh at audio of Amber Heard referring to him as “Junkie Johnny” which was played in court as part of his multi-million dollar defamation trial with her.
Heard returned to the stand on Monday for a third day of testimony, which saw the court played recordings that she had made during her relationship with Depp.
In one of these recording she made, she discussed the “different versions” of her then-husband that he would allegedly become because of alcohol and drugs.
In the audio played to the court, the actress says: “I see somebody who’s changing into different versions of a person that I recognise for a brief moment, and then he slips away, then he disappears.
“Then I get different versions of him. I get the insecure or scared version of him that lashes out in a different medium every time.
“So if it’s ‘Adderall Junkie Johnny,’ then he’s abusive and he’s a tyrant and he’s mean.”
When Depp hears the name ‘Junkie Johny’, he starts smirking and his shoulders lift up in laughter.
Depp’s reaction could be seen on the livestream of the trial, and can be found roughly 30 minutes in.
An audio recording of #AmberHeard was played in court of after the Australia trip in March 2015. pic.twitter.com/5wIBbeggHZ
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 16, 2022
As the audio continues, Heard claims that this version of the actor would lead to “violence and anger.”
“If I argue back with him then I’m abusive… if I don’t say anything then I’m dismissive… if I engage with him I’m part of the problem,” she says.
The court has already heard allegations that Depp would become abusive towards Heard when he was drunk or had taken drugs.
Heard told the court that the recording depicted her trying to explain how ‘futile’ it was to “negotiate with him and the substances he was on at the time.”
“No matter what I did, no matter what I did to walk away… nothing I did made a difference, nothing I did changed his rage at me, nothing I did changed the violence toward me, nothing I did calmed him down,” she said.
The court heard other audio recordings from the former couple’s relationship, including one in which they argue about recording each other.
LISTEN: In an audio recording, #JohnnyDepp and #AmberHeard argued about recording each other without each other's permission. pic.twitter.com/j68aJbMXTR
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 16, 2022
Monday saw the multi-million dollar trial get back underway after a week-long recess.
Depp is currently suing his former wife Heard for defamation over a Washington Post op-ed she wrote in 2018 in which she discussed the subject of domestic abuse.
Depp’s team argue that the piece falsely implies that Heard was physically and sexually abused by Depp while they were married from 2015 to 2017. He is seeking $50m in damages.
He denies ever abusing Heard.
Heard is in turn suing her former husband, accusing him of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and labelling his lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment.”
She has asked for immunity from Depp’s complaint, and $100m in damages.
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