Here's why the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial is taking a week's break
The judge presiding over the defamation trial involving Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has adjourned the proceedings for a weeklong hiatus.
Heard, 36, took the stand for a second day on Thursday, May 5, in the defamation suit filed by her ex-husband Depp, who has accused her of painting him as a domestic abuser. The 'Aquaman' actress spoke for more than two hours the previous day as she described meeting the "love of her life" Depp until when she alleges things turned awry and abusive. She has alleged the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star took cocaine and abused her, once performing a "cavity search" on her after accusing her of stealing his drugs.
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Why is the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial taking a week-long hiatus?
Fairfax County Circuit Judge Penney Azcarate concluded Heard's testimony on Thursday at about 5:30 p.m. ET, adjourning the court for a break until proceedings resume at 9 am ET on Monday, May 16. The session will then continue until closing arguments that are scheduled for May 27. The hiatus is a scheduled break after four weeks of testimony.
Judge Azcarate instructed the jury not to read, watch, or listen to anything about the case in the meantime -- including television, news, or social media sites. "What you learn about this case is limited to what you learn in the four walls of this courtroom when proceedings are underway, OK?" she emphasized. Heard is expected to continue her witness testimony on May 16, followed by a cross-examination by Depp's legal team.
The 'Edward Scissorhands' star is suing his ex-wife for defamation and seeking $50 million in damages after she claimed to be “a public figure representing domestic abuse" in a 2018 op-ed she penned for the Washington Post. While Depp wasn't mentioned by name, his lawyers have argued the incendiary piece damaged their client's reputation and destroyed his future prospects in Hollywood. Heard has filed a counterclaim of $100 million, accusing Depp of running a smear campaign against her.
During direct examination, Heard described a violent altercation in March 2015 when she and Depp were staying in Australia as the latter worked on the fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” installment. Heard claimed they argued over Depp's drinking before he threatened to cut her up with a broken bottle of booze. She said he proceeded to rip apart her clothes and penetrated her with a bottle during the fight. Depp was left with a severed finger after the incident and trashed the mansion where they were situated. Heard told the jury that Depp wrote on the walls of the home with blood from his fingertip.
Heard recently fired her PR team and switched to a new one days before her testimony in court. She ditched crisis PR firm Precision Strategies last week as she was reportedly unhappy about how the trial was being covered. In other recent developments, Johnny Depp's bodyguard Malcolm Connolly said that he had noticed injuries and marks on the actor's face as his marriage with Amber Heard started getting strained. On Thursday, April 28, Connolly took the stand at the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, telling the court that he saw Depp go from being happy in love to "quiet" as Heard became more "dominant" and "demanding."