Advertisement
Amber Heard said she believes her doctor’s notes in which she reported alleged abuse at the hands of Johnny Depp changed the jury’s decision in her ex-husband’s defamation case. However, the notes were excluded from the six-week trial.
In the latest excerpt of her interview with NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie that will air date line On Friday, Heard said her doctor’s notes are a record of what she spoke about in real time, going back to the beginning of her relationship with Depp.
Guthrie said they reviewed the notes and showed “Amber spoke out about physical abuse back in 2012. In January this year, she told her therapist that Depp hit her and threw her on the floor. Eight months later he tore her nightgown, threw her on the bed and in 2013 he threw her against a wall and threatened to kill her.”
Heard’s attorneys also showed NBC News text messages barred from the trial, including one in which she wrote to her father, “He kicked me in front of everyone.” That message had to do with a controversial incident in which Heard claimed Depp kicked her on a private plane flight.
Depp has denied Heard’s allegations of physical abuse. A spokesman for Depp told the network: “It is unfortunate that the defendant and her team are again repeating, reinventing and retrial matters already decided by the court.”
A jury awarded Depp $15 million in his defamation lawsuit against Heard, finding she was liable for defamation after publishing a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post saying she had “become a public figure.” , which depicts domestic violence”. The judge quickly reduced the amount to $10.35 million based on the state limit for punitive damages. Heard also won a verdict as the jury found Depp liable for defamation based on testimony from his attorney. But Heard’s price was only $2 million.
Heard’s interview with Guthrie was her first post-trial interview, and NBC News maximized exposure for his exclusive offering, airing it in two parts today Earlier this week followed the hour of date line.
That date line The episode included portions of Guthrie’s interview that had already aired, but the hour perhaps shed some light on why Heard agreed to do it, as it gave her another chance to tell her side of the story. But it was a version of events that the jury found unconvincing.
“They thought you were lying,” Guthrie told Heard.
She replied: “I will put it this way: How could they come to a conclusion, how could they not come to that conclusion? They had been in those seats and had been listening to uninterrupted testimonies from paid employees for over three weeks and towards the end of the trial, randos as I say.”
“I don’t blame myself [the jury]. … I actually understand that he’s a beloved character and people feel like they know him. He’s an amazing actor… After three and a half weeks of hearing testimonies about how I was an incredible person, I can’t believe a word that came out of my mouth. I am a hysterical woman. I’m crazy. You can’t trust me again and again.”
Heard defended the comment that was the source of the defamation lawsuit, arguing that it wasn’t about her relationship with Depp, but rather the issue of domestic violence and law reform. But when asked by Guthrie why she would write something that would upset the couple’s relationship again given their divorce settlement, Heard conceded that it was a point that “I wish would be considered more seriously.”
A jury appeared Good morning America Earlier this week, saying that Heard “didn’t come across as believable.” She claimed that she did not instigate any physical fights, but audio was played during the trial confirming that she had started one.
“I know a lot has been done with those tapes,” Heard told Guthrie. “And as I testified on the witness stand, what you hear in these clips is not proof of what happened. It was evidence of a negotiation, about how to talk about it with your abuser.”
Guthrie asked Heard: “He said he never hit you. Is that a lie?” “Yes,” Heard said.
Guthrie noted that no other women have made claims against Depp.
“Look what happened to me when I came forward. Would you?” Heard replied.
Guthrie also highlighted another aspect of Depp’s case: photos showing Heard looking “pristine” after the alleged abuse. Heard testified that some of the photos were taken days and even weeks after the alleged injuries, Guthrie noted.
“What I’ve learned in that process is that it’s never going to be good enough,” Heard said. “If you have evidence, then it was an intrigue. It was a joke. If you don’t have proof, it didn’t happen. If you have a bruise, it’s a fake. If you don’t have a bruise, then clearly the violence didn’t harm you. If you’ve told people, then you’re hysterical. If you didn’t tell anyone, it didn’t happen.”
She told Guthrie that she hoped the result “didn’t have the chilling effect it might have on other people. I’m worried about that. But if I can look you in the eye, Savannah, and say, “I’m still here,” and maybe that will help offset some of that. very real fear that others might have to come forward or speak out.”
Heard said she would “stand by every word of my testimony” until her “death day.”
“My goal, the only thing I can hope for at this point, I just want people to see me as a person,” she said.
