Johnny Depp’s attorney reveals moment the tide turned against Amber Heard during headline-making trial

STEVE HELBER/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY; EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY

The sensational six-week trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard made headlines last year for its bombshell claims and wild accusations that gave fans an inside look at a troubled Hollywood relationship.

Though the dust has settled in the 15 months since, Depp’s attorney is now speaking out about the moment when the tide turned against Heard in favor of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor.

“I think it was at the end of her direct examination. I think you could cut the tension, the awkwardness, with a knife in that courtroom. She wasn’t credible,” Vasquez told FOX Nation host Nancy Grace during an exclusive interview at CrimeCon 2023.

“I don’t think [Heard] owned up to anything. And when you are on the stand, you have to own up,” she added.

After six weeks, Johnny Depp won a $10.35 million judgment against Amber Heard in June 2022.

The jury found that the “Aquaman” actress had defamed her ex-husband by penning a 2018 op-ed in which she identified herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

Johnny Depp’s attorneys Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez talk before the jury announced a split verdict in favor of both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard on their claim and counter-claim in the Depp v. Heard civil defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on June 1, 2022. – A US jury on Wednesday found Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamed each other, but sided far more strongly with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star following an intense libel trial involving bitterly contested allegations of sexual violence and domestic abuse. (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The jury awarded Heard a $2 million judgment in her countersuit that accused Depp of defaming her through his lawyer.

“We’re not perfect. We’re individuals. We make mistakes,” Vasquez said. “Johnny, to his credit, owned up to having substance abuse problems his whole life. He owned up to the bad language that he used in that relationship. But he denied categorically that he ever laid a finger on Amber Heard or any woman ever in his life.”

Although they’ve been pubically split since 2016, the couple had been battling for years leading up to the suit.

One of the more infamous allegations from the case surrounded a 2015 fight. Depp alleged the brawl left him with a severed finger after Heard hurled a bottle of vodka at him, which she denied doing.

The pair were in Australia, where Depp was filming “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and had a vicious fight over a postnuptial agreement he had asked Heard to sign, he told jurors.

In describing the same incident, Heard alleged that Depp, in a jealous drug-fueled rage, tore off her nightgown, dragged her naked across shards of broken glass and repeatedly punched her.

She claimed Depp then pinned her against the bar and penetrated her with a bottle of Maker’s Mark.

“I thought he was punching me. I felt this pressure. I felt this pressure on my pubic bone,” she told the jury through heaving sobs. “I didn’t know if the bottle he had inside of me was broken.”

Depp has denied ever abusing Heard.

Nancy Grace, who is a former prosecutor and legal commentator, added certain moments related to the 2015 fight changed everything in favor of Depp.

“I think after it came out that she most likely tipped off TMZ to catch her leaving, coming out the door, looking around to see if anybody would see her signs of abuse. Number one, big red flags started waving because if you have been abused, why do you want TMZ standing on your front doorstep to see you come out?” Grace posited.

“Number two, when she says she was raped, that Johnny Depp raped her with a bottle — because any woman I know would have absolutely called 911 or at least filed a report.”

Depp’s private nurse, Debbie Lloyd, recalled the incident in court. She was with the couple in Australia in March 2015 to help treat Depp’s opioid addiction.

Lloyd said the house manager ultimately recovered Depp’s severed fingertip, which was taken to the hospital. She recalled hearing “different stories from people” about what led to the physical altercation.

“There are so many women, literally thousands of them, that I talked with when I worked at the battered women’s center or as a prosecutor for all those years, they would have at least sought medical attention. At least. I mean, how do you know that the insides of you are not lacerated, that somehow you haven’t touched vital organs that could preclude you from ever having children again? I mean, I don’t know. I’m a J.D., not an M.D.,” Grace said.

“That alone right there, that and the TMZ, was the big seismic Richter scale movement for me in that courtroom.”

Vasquez agreed Heard’s actions and testimony regarding the 2015 incident were a pivotal moment in the trial, adding further evidence that led the jury to rule in favor of Depp. She added there were “many different moments” that ultimately prompted the jury to decide the case.

“The point is, there were the moments that were important that convinced that jury unanimously Johnny Depp was telling the truth. Amber Heard was not.”

Vasquez, a legal expert for NBC’s Access Hollywood, reveals more insider details and a breakdown of the shocking, drama-filled lawsuit in the exclusive interview at CrimeCon, now streaming on FOX Nation. Tune in to the special for even more highlights from the weekend event in Orlando including other exclusive interviews and a look at some of the biggest crime cases.

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