Depp trial: Psychologist testifies actor assaulted Heard DANIEL PALLAN GARCIA
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Actor Amber Heard suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from violence she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband Johnny Depp, including multiple acts of sexual assault, a psychologist testified Tuesday.
The sexual assaults included being forced to perform oral sex and having Depp penetrate her with a liquor bottle, the psychologist, Dawn Hughes, told jurors at Depp’s libel trial against Heard. He accuses her of falsely claiming in a newspaper op-ed piece that she was a victim of domestic violence.
Hughes’ testimony contradicts that of a psychologist hired by Depp’s lawyers, who said Heard was faking her symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered from borderline and histrionic personality disorders. Hughes disputed that Heard suffers from any personality disorder.
Hughes was the first witness to take the stand on Heard’s behalf after Depp’s lawyers rested their case Tuesday morning.
Hughes said there is corroboration of many of the instances of abuse, including apologies and admissions made by Depp to Heard and admissions he made to friends in text
DANIEL PALLAN messages about his bad behavior GARCIA when he drinks. In Sept. some 27, cases, 1967 – Apr. Heard 12, 2022 told her therapists about the abuse contemporaneously, Hughes said.
Depp has said he never physically attacked Heard, and that she was the aggressor who routinely hit him and threw things at him through the course of their relationship.
Hughes, in her testimony, said Heard acknowledged Sept. 27, that 1967 she – Apr. did at 12, times 2022
push and shove Depp, call him names and insult his parenting.
But Hughes said there’s a difference in the violence when a smaller person strikes at a larger person, and that Depp’s violence was intimidating and threatened her safety, but Heard’s violence did not have the same effect on Depp.
“Daniel That’s Garcia, just 54, physics; unexthat’s pectedly just passed proportional away on force,” April 12, she 2022. said. Daniel or Danny Much as of many the knew violence, him by was born in Brawley,
Hughes said, stemmed
CA on September 2 7,
from Depp’s obsessive jeal
1967. He w as t he
ousy. He insisted she avoid
youngest o f eight chilnude dren scenes, t o, Manuel if she Sr. worked and at Damas all, and Garcia. accused With her the of affairs family mainly with actors rooted Billy in Bob Texas, Thornton D anny and w as James t he Franco. only o ne If she to did be b work orn on in a California. film, Depp Growing would call up, the Danny director was and known others to be on set friendly, and say s illy he a “had nd e eyes” nerthere getic. who He loved would t o report meet to new him people if she and fraternized was very welcoming. His fun personality e asily won the hearts of many.
Danny had many passions with h is l ove for
getic. He loved t o meet
improperly, Hughes said.
new people and was very
And Heard, who iden
welcoming. His fun pertifies sonality as e bisexual asily won accordthe ing hearts to of treatment many. notes introduced Danny had at many trial, pasalso faced sions scrutiny with h is in l ove her for interactions God being a with very women. imporHughes tant one. said He Depp walked on with one occasion his faith manually e very d ay penea nd trated that h Heard elped in shape anger after him witnessing into t he man Heard’s and f interather actions he came with to be. a woman.
“Amber Another got one accused of Danny's of women passions hitting w as c her, ars and she motorcycles; got accused h of is men H arley hitting Davidson on her,” a Hughes nd C said. hevy
Trail Heard Boss blinked w ere back his tears, prized and p ossessions. her lips and He chin enjoyed quivered keeping at them times in as mint Hughes c ondition described and this the
passion led to a s uccess
abuse.
ful auto d etailing b usi
Hughes said she based
ness.
her testimony on 29 hours
Danny's u nexpected of death interviews will leave with a void Heard, in as many well hearts. as interviews He will with forher ever therapists be remembered and a review for of his court kind documents. and giving soul,
his Earlier ability Tuesday, t o make Depp’s a nylawyers one laugh, rested a nd their t he case, f act and that it a was judge difficult rejected to rea motion main mad from at Heard’s him because law
of his jokester ways.
Danny was preceded in death by his father, Manuel Garcia Sr.
He is survived by his three children, Melanie Garcia, Stephanie McDaniel ( Randy) a nd Nathaniel Garcia ( Darla); grandkids, A lec, D erek, Thomas, Nathaniel, Daniel and Natalie; mother, Damas; s iblings, Manuel J r. ( Marty), Bertha ( Art), Mary Angel (Tony), Robert (Olga), Margie, Rose A nn (Willie) nd E lfida (Rick).
Visitation will be held on the May 4, 2022 from 4 to 7pm at Frye Chapel & Mortuary in Brawley, CA. Burial s ervices will be held the following day at 1 0am at R iverview Cemetery in Brawley, CA. yers to dismiss the case. Heard’s lawyers argued that Depp had failed to make his case as a matter of law and that no reasonable jury could find in his favor.
But the judge, Penney Azcarate, said the standard for dismissing a case at this point in the trial is exceedingly high, and that the case should be allowed to move forward if Depp has provided even a “scintilla” of evidence backing up his claims.
Depp and his lead lawyer, Benjamin Chew, patted each other on the back after the judge ruled the case can proceed.
Chew argued that the jury has a wealth of evidence to conclude that Heard falsely accused Depp of abuse. In fact, he said, the evidence shows that “Ms. Heard physically abused him. She’s the abuser.”
Heard’s lawyer, J. Benjamin Rottenborn, said the evidence is clear over the last three weeks of testimony that Heard’s allegations of abuse are truthful.
“We haven’t gotten to put on our case yet,” he said. “This is all evidence that has come in while plaintiff controls the playing field.”
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in Fairfax County Circuit Court after Heard wrote a December 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article never mentions Depp by name, but Depp’s lawyers say he was defamed nevertheless because it’s a clear reference to abuse allegations Heard levied in 2016, in the midst of the couple’s divorce proceedings.
The judge on Tuesday did say she’s reserving judgment on whether the article’s headline in online editions should be part of the libel lawsuit because she said the evidence is unclear at this point whether Heard wrote the headline or is responsible for it. The online headline reads, “I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
Hughes will be cross-examined Wednesday, and Heard is expected to take the stand Wednesday as well.