Johnny Depp’s legal team played a video in court on Friday that they allege shows that Amber Heard had been violent towards her sister, Whitney Henríquez. The video was presented in the London Courts of Justice as evidence on the 14th of Depp’s defamation action against the editor of The Sun newspaper.
Depp is suing News News and journalist Dan Wootton over an article on The Sun’s website that described him as a “handcuff puncher.” Depp denies having been violent towards Heard, whom he was married to between 2015 and 2017.
The tape, first played in court on Friday, is believed to have been taken from an actual television show that was recorded in 2006 or 2007. The recording was released to the Depp team by an anonymous source overnight, and they believe It came from an untransmitted broadcast segment of the show.
In the video, Henríquez, also known as Whitney Heard, is seen with a group of friends sitting around a pool. A friend asks him, “Did you fight or something?” Henríquez responds: “I got into an altercation.”
Her friend then says, “I can’t believe Amber hitting your butt, I know you could hit her butt.”
She adds: “Whitney, truth or challenge, did you really start the fight with your sister or did she start? Really, really, really. “
The friend seems to inspect her face and arm as she says, “She really yelled at your butt.” Henríquez repeatedly says: “We are not going to talk about it.”
Depp’s attorney, David Sherborne, said: “We clearly see in that video that not only was Ms. Amber Heard physically assaulting her sister, but it is also quite clear that Ms. Whitney Heard’s injuries are being examined by the person we see on the tape. “
“There is no denying the fact that Ms. Amber Heard hit Ms. Whitney Heard and that there are injuries.”
“You will see Whitney Heard allowing these injuries to be seen.”
“It is clearly established that everyone present knew that Amber Heard had beaten Whitney Heard. She doesn’t deny it, she just says she doesn’t want to talk about it. “
When Henríquez was questioned about the clip, she told the court: “First of all, it was a really bad reality show. We were referring to a verbal discussion that my sister and I got into. ”
Depp’s lawyer asked if she had told her friend about a physical fight with her sister before the cameras started working. She replied, “I did not discuss anything other than a verbal discussion with my off-camera friends.”
“I wasn’t talking about a physical fight, that person is inferring, trying to make a story, even if it’s bad, interesting.”
She added: “I was trying to create a narrative and story that was not there. I was trying to make a very, very boring, more interesting conversation. “
Henríquez said that her friend had made no reference to “marks on my face” and added: “I had no interest in starting a fight with my sister, a verbal discussion with my sister, a personal matter on camera.” I wasn’t interested in that.
Sherborne said: “We were contacted to explain that Ms. Amber Heard had a history of violence and attacks on people, and this attached video of her sister Whitney was taken shortly after Amber Heard attacked her, and Ms. Whitney was filmed with people commenting on the bruises on her face and body. “
Sasha Wass, The Sun’s attorney, said the video “made no sense.”
“This is an undated piece of film in circumstances that appear to be some kind of reality TV show, which is impertinent, certainly not serious.”
“This is a joyous exchange, there is no evidence of any injury and it will take the matter … no further.”
Sherborne said: “All we know so far is the circumstances in which it was filmed. Admittedly, it was filmed as part of, as we understand it, a television program, but the footage of his honor [the judge] see that no images were filmed. It has no script … it’s the reeds. There is nothing, in my submission, happy at all. It is clear that two of those present know that Ms. Amber Heard had beaten Ms. Whitney Heard. “
“She doesn’t deny it, she just says she doesn’t want to talk about it.”
The evidence at the trial ended on Friday. The closing speeches will follow on Monday and Tuesday, and the trial will come sometime after that.
