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Who is Dr Richard Moore? Orthopedic surgeon CONTESTS Johnny Depp's version of finger injury

'It's not consistent with what we see in the described injury pattern or the clinical photographs,' said Dr Moore during his testimony

During the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, the first witness on Monday, May 23, was Dr Richard Moore, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr Moore claims that he has operated on finger injuries like Depp's 'hundreds of times' during his 25-year career.

According to Depp, his fingertip got sliced off after Heard threw a bottle of vodka at him during an argument in March 2015. However, the 36-year-old actress claims that the 58-year-old actor smashed it off with a phone. Speaking of Depp's finger injury, Dr Moore testified, "It's not consistent with what we see in the described injury pattern or the clinical photographs."

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He added, "Looking at the images, there's really no significant injury to the dorsum of the finger, and to create that type of injury with that type of a crush injury, we would anticipate both injury to the fingernail and other parts of the finger." Showing a position, Dr Moore added, "In that position, were the bottle to strike the finger, the way it was described, it would have struck on the nail and the nail was really not injured. That's not consistent with that pattern of injury."

"The tissue loss is on the palmer aspect, from underneath the finger, rather than transversely in the finger, which you would have anticipated if the bottle struck the finger." Dr Moore said the photos showed no injury to the fingernail and if the bottle had hit, there would be injury there. He further answered that Depp's description of the incident does not line up with the photo evidence, according to his opinion.

On being asked what mechanisms could cause such an injury, Moore explained, "Crush mechanisms could be slammed in a drawer, caught between two logs in the fireplace, sliding glass door. These are all mechanisms that squeeze the finger between two, heard opposing surfaces and create this type of injury."

Who is Dr Richard Moore?

Dr Richard Moore is an orthopedic surgeon based in North Carolina who specializes in hand surgery and upper extremity microsurgery. He is associated with New Hanover Regional Medical Center Orthopedic Hospital. Dr Moore graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor's degree in biology and went on to graduate with honors from the UNC School of Medicine.

As per his Emerge Ortho profile, he completed his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr Moore holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hand Surgery. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the Orthopedic Trauma Association, and was recently elected into the American Orthopedic Association. Dr Moore is a native of eastern North Carolina–born in Morehead City and raised in Jacksonville.

During cross-examination, Depp's lawyer, Camille Vasquez questioned Dr Moore rigorously. "You can't determine what object caused the injury to his finger?" she asked, to which he replied, "I can't determine which object did it. I can say with confidence the described mechanism of the bottle was not consistent..." Vasquez cut in and said, "I understand that. My question is very specific," and then repeated the question. Dr Moore replied, "It's a little bit more of a non-specific answer. I can't determine the exact object but it's unlikely it was sustained in the manner described."

"You can't definitely say what caused the injury to Mr Depp's finger. Yes or no?" Vasquez pressed and Dr Moore responded, "No." He further answered, "My opinion is based on the medical records and the clinical images and Mr Depp's description." The defamation trial is being held in Fairfax, Virginia, and is currently in its final week.