Call it Deppgate 2: The Sequel.
Amber Heard’s legal team plans to call actor Johnny Depp back to the witness stand Monday as the salacious trial enters its final week.
“Multiple sources with knowledge confirmed to The Post that the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star — who already testified over four days — will be back on the stand Monday,” the New York Post reports.
“He is likely to face questioning on the slew of allegations Heard, 36, made during her testimony — including that Depp, 58, sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle in March 2015 while in Australia. The actor is expected to be questioned by his own attorneys as a rebuttal witness either Wednesday or Thursday,” sources told the paper.
Both Depp and Heard have testified already, but the lawyers may be holding back powerful testimony for the last week. The Post cited legal experts who said the move is dangerous.
“Calling Depp back to address the jury could backfire — given how ‘likeable’ they appeared to find him during his first round of testimony, legal experts previously told The Post. ‘There is a risk that he is going to have more time being likable on the stand,’ said civil attorney Katherine Lizardo, ‘when it’s actually Amber Heard’s time to present her case,’” the tabloid said.
Heard in 2018 penned an op-ed in The Washington Post in which she declared herself a “public figure representing domestic violence.” That prompted Depp to sue her for $50 million. Heard then countersued for $100 million, claiming that her former husband defamed her when he and his lawyer said she made up her allegations of domestic violence.
By some accounts, Heard’s testimony did not go as planned. Just days after a poll done in April found that more Americans believe actor Depp than Heard, she reportedly fired her public relations team and brought on a new group to help with her image.
“The ‘Aquaman’ actress ditched crisis PR firm Precision Strategies on Thursday after getting frustrated with the press she’s received since her bombshell defamation trial kicked off last month, sources said,” according to the New York Post. She is now using the “consulting firm Shane Communications on retainer to help her get across her side better in the court of public opinion, sources said.”
“She doesn’t like bad headlines,” a source told the Post, while another said Heard, 36, is “frustrated with her story not being told effectively.”
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.
Source: Dailywire
