Amber Heard, the American actress, categorically denied allegations in court on Tuesday that she had engaged in an affair with Tesla CEO Elon Musk or anyone else while she was married to Johnny Depp.
Heard, 34, took the stand at London's High Court as a witness for the Sun newspaper, which is being sued for libel by Depp over a 2018 article that branded him a "wife beater."
During her testimony, Heard claimed that the 57-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star had assaulted her on multiple occasions—14 to be exact—and had made numerous threats to kill her. She asserted that Depp had slapped, punched, head-butted, and kicked her during fits of violent jealousy fueled by excessive alcohol or drug consumption.
Depp vehemently denies ever hitting Heard and insists that her allegations are nothing more than a fabrication.
In her written statement, Heard alleged that Depp had accused her of infidelity with various co-stars and that his intense jealousy had often escalated into violent behavior.
The court was presented with text messages exchanged between Heard and Musk in May 2016, following an incident in which Depp had purportedly become physically violent, causing injuries to her eye and cheek by throwing a phone at her and damaging their penthouse.
When asked if she had been involved in any other relationships, Heard replied, "No, not that that matters much." She stated that she had not been in contact with the Tesla chief until 2016.
Additionally, CCTV footage was shown in court, capturing Heard accompanying actor James Franco to the penthouse the following evening.
Heard recounted Franco's reaction, stating, "He was saying to me, 'Oh my god, what happened to you?'"
Judge Andrew Nicol informed Depp's lawyer, Eleanor Laws, that he did not consider such evidence pertaining to jealousy as particularly useful in reaching a final verdict.
Laws mentioned that the penthouse staff and other friends who testified had not observed any visible marks or injuries in the days following the incident.
Heard maintained that she did, in fact, have visible injuries. She is scheduled to provide her testimony over the course of four days, and the trial is expected to conclude next week. However, an immediate ruling is not anticipated.
