Johnny Depp’s legal battle with UK publication The Sun has been going for a little while now, and to say that it’s had a number of developments would be an understatement. In 2018, The Sun originally printed an article which referred to Depp as a “wife beater” and, with this, one of the major figures in this case has been his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Up to this point, Amber Heard has made a number of claims against Johnny Depp, with one of the most recent being that he allegedly took her “hostage” on set. Depp has also accused her of abuse, with Heard admitting to punching the actor. However, she alleges that she did so in self-defense. Now, Depp’s legal team has submitted video footage as evidence that Amber Heard allegedly assaulted her sister, Whitney Henriquez.
The tape including the footage was reportedly received by Johnny Depp’s team overnight by a confidential source and was played in court for the first time on Friday, July 24, per Variety. The actual footage appears to have been a segment in a reality TV that took place in either 2006 or 2007. The team also believes this particular scene never made it to air.
In the footage, which was shared by London Evening Standard’s Tristan Clark, Whitney Henriquez (or Heard) is sitting around a pool with a group of friends, during which one asks her, “Did you get in a fight or something?” Henriquez replies by saying she “got into an altercation,” before stating that she doesn’t want to talk about it further. Her friend would then continue by saying, “I can’t believe Amber beat your ass, I know you could beat her ass.”
The friend would continue to press for answers saying, “Whitney, truth or dare, did you really start the fight with your sister or did she start it? For real, for real, for real.” And when proceeding to inspect Henriquez’s face, she remarked, “She really did whoop your butt.” Henriquez would repeatedly say, “We’re not going to talk about it.”
Johnny Depp’s attorney, David Sherborne, alleges that the video shows Amber Heard assaulted Henriquez:
We see quite clearly from that video not only did Ms. Amber Heard physically assault her sister, but it’s quite clear also that the injuries that were suffered by Ms. Whitney Heard are being examined by the individual we see in the tape. There’s no denial of the fact Ms. Amber Heard beat up Ms. Whitney Heard and that there are injuries.
When cross-examined about the footage, Whitney Henriquez told the court the incident she was referencing was a verbal argument between her and her sister:
First of all that was a really bad reality show. We were referring to a verbal argument my sister and I got into.
When Depp’s attorney asked Henriquez if she had spoken to her friend about a physical fight before they started shooting, she stated that she “did not discuss anything other than a verbal argument” with her friends before filming began. Henriquez went on to say that her friend “was trying to create a narrative and story that wasn’t there.”
As of right now, the closing speeches in the trial are to be given on Monday and Tuesday, with a verdict expected to be given sometime later.
Keep it here at CinemaBlend for more updates from the world of film and TV.
