'Performance of her life': Johnny Depp's lawyer calls Amber Heard a liar who's OBSESSED with her image
The case including Johnny Depp and Amber Heard was brought after Heard claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse in an article. Heard's team claimed she was hauled to court solely to "destroy her."
Depp, 58, has denied any wrongdoing and is suing his ex-wife for $50 million. Heard has responded by filing a $100 million complaint against him. Thousands of fans have already gathered outside the Virginia courthouse in anticipation of the trial, which is estimated to last up to seven weeks.
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Heard's 2018 editorial post in The Washington Post, in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse," is at issue in the trial. Depp claims that the story, which does not name him, is defamatory and has harmed his career.
Depp's lawyer, Camille Vasquez, began the day's opening arguments by telling jurors that Heard had been the aggressor throughout the relationship. Heard developed a victim character for herself after Depp requested a divorce to "avoid humiliation," said Vasquez.
Vasquez described her as "obsessed with her public image" and continued to say that, "She has been living and breathing this role for years now and she is preparing to give the performance of her life." Instead, Heard's lawyers alleged that Depp had subjected her to emotional, verbal, and physical harassment. Depp wants to "haunt her, to wreck her career," according to attorney Ben Rottenborn.
Depp's older sister, Christi Dembrowski, was the first to testify. Dembrowski detailed a tumultuous upbringing impacted by their mother's violence in response to inquiries from Depp's counsel. "Mom would, she would scream, she would yell. She would hit [Dad], call him names," Dembrowski stated the following. She said that Depp never fought back. Dembrowski characterized her famous brother as a kind and caring brother, son, and father to his two children. Dembrowski claims that her brother's behavior altered once he began connected with Heard. "He seemed sadder," she observed.
Heard would frequently disparage Depp, according to ]Dembrowski, who recalled a time when Dior wish to engage with Depp for an ad campaign. "She [Ms. Heard] said, 'Dior, why would Dior want to do business with you? You don't have style... She called him an old fat man," Dembrowski stated the following.
Depp's sister told jurors that she was "devastated" by the news that her brother would marry Heard, and that she was worried that their relationship would be like their parents'. "If I'm honest, I debated going [to the wedding]. I wanted to make sure that I showed up anyway, because I wanted to make sure, honestly, that my little brother knew I was going to be there no matter what," Ms. Dembrowski stated the following.
Dembrowski is the first out of an estimated 120 witnesses who will testify in Virginia in the coming weeks, assisting in the construction of conflicting stories of Depp and Heard's relationship.
Heard issued an Instagram message on Sunday, April 10 stating that she had "always maintained a love for Johnny" ahead of the trial. "It brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world," she stated.