Johnny Depp testified for a second day in his $50m (£38.2m) defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. Cross-examination began at the end of the day and will continue on Thursday morning.
Heard is being sued by Depp for implying he abused her in a 2018 op-ed she wrote. Although she did not name him, his lawyers claim her allegations have made it difficult for the actor to land movie roles, turning him from “Cinderella to Quasimodo” in Hollywood — as Depp described it in testimony.
The actor recalled a traumatic childhood with an abusive mother and said his relationship with Heard mirrored that, accusing her of “bullying” him.
He described a tumultuous time together, including a fight in which his finger was severed, the time human faeces was found on his bed, and what he says happened on the night Heard accused him of throwing a phone at her in their penthouse, shortly before divorce proceedings began.
Heard has filed a $100m (£76.6m) counterclaim against Depp for nuisance and immunity from the actor’s allegations. Depp has previously lost a defamation case in the UK against The Sun newspaper over the same article by Heard.