Jurors in Johnny Depp’s libel trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, saw photos on Monday of her with alleged red marks and swelling on her face after their final fight before their divorce, and heard testimony about her expertise in covering up bruises with makeup.
Heard concluded her direct testimony in a Virginia courtroom with a third day that was centred on the final months of her marriage to Depp.
His lawyers began their cross-examination later in the afternoon.
The trial is now in its fifth week, and jurors have seen multiple photos of Heard throughout the trial that purport to document the abuse she said she received during her relationship with Depp.
Several of the photos shown on Monday, though, had not previously been seen by the jury and showed redness and swelling much more clearly than earlier photos.
Heard said the marks came when Depp threw a phone at her face.
The confrontation in May 2016 prompted Heard to file for divorce two days later. A few days after that, she obtained a temporary restraining order after a courthouse hearing, and was widely photographed leaving the courthouse with a clear red mark on her right cheek.
The final fight has been a key point in the couple’s ongoing dispute.
Depp is suing Heard in Fairfax County Circuit Court for libel over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse".
His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Depp says he never struck Heard and that she’s concocting claims she was abused.
In her direct testimony, Heard testified she did not want to publicly expose Depp as an abuser in her court proceedings, but had to go to the courthouse to provide testimony to obtain the restraining order, and she was taken aback when she left the courthouse surrounded by paparazzi.
Heard concluded her testimony by saying that accusations she receives on a daily basis from Depp supporters that she’s lying about the abuse are “torture.”
“I want to move on with my life,” she said.
“I want Johnny to move on. I want him to leave me alone.”
