If you have not already, make sure to read my first article reporting on the inconsistencies, lies, and evidence of alleged abuse at the hands of Amber Heard, concerning the Amber Heard & Johnny Depp trial. You can find that here: https://www.hercampus.com/school/west-chester/examining-lie-presenting-case-johnny-depp-s-innocence. To recap, Heard divorced Depp after 15 months of marriage and filed a temporary restraining order against him, upon claiming that he was physically and emotionally abusive towards her. Depp maintains that he is not only innocent and has never been abusive towards Heard, nor any other woman, but that he is the true victim of physical abuse, as well as what he describes as an elaborate hoax by Amber Heard and her friends designed to further her career. I would like to clarify a statement I made in the previous article, which stated that Amber Heard “won” a restraining order against Depp. To be more specific, she was granted a temporary restraining order before the hearing, but upon attending the court hearing, this request for a restraining order did not succeed. There were many details and various aspects of this case that I had not touched on in the previous article, due to the sheer volume of information.
One of the biggest prevailing lies throughout the years on the part of Amber Heard is that she donated her $7 million divorce settlement completely to charity. She vowed to do this back in 2016 and has to this day kept up appearances that she had donated the money. She vowed to split the money between two charities: the ACLU and the children’s hospital of Los Angeles. This matter has been brought up in Depp’s defamation case against The Sun, as judge Andrew Nichol cited her promise to donate the money to charity as “hardly the act one would expect of a gold digger.” However, while the ACLU has refused to cooperate, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles has stated that to date, they have only received $100,000 from Ms. Heard and have tried to contact her to figure out what is going on (James, 2021). Heard admitted to “not yet donating the full amount” citing the ongoing legal battle with her ex as the prime reason. Heard’s lawyer stated “Amber has already been responsible for seven figures in donations to charitable causes and intends to continue to contribute and eventually fulfill her pledge,” she told the outlet. “However, Amber has been delayed in that goal because Mr. Depp filed a lawsuit against her, and consequently, she has been forced to spend millions of dollars defending Mr. Depp’s false accusations against her” (Emmanuele, 2021). For the record, the cited reason for Heard failing to donate the settlement money to charity was the defamation case against her, which Depp did not file until 2019, a full two years after she received the money.
Heard’s motives behind marrying and divorcing Johnny Depp, the 57 year old Oscar nominated actor whose net worth was estimated around $400 million in 2016, has come into question many times throughout the years. Depp has accused Heard of pocketing the settlement money and repeatedly lying about donating the settlement to charity, as well as painting bruises on her face to obtain a restraining order against him. One of the alleged abuse incidents that occurred on May 21 2016, a day after Depp’s mother died, Heard claims resulted in bruising to her face. Despite police and several other witnesses testifying that Heard had no bruising and there was no evidence of a physical altercation when police arrived on the scene, as well as Heard failing to file a police report, she submitted photos of her bruised face in order to obtain a restraining order. Depp’s attorney, Laura Wasser, filed a motion in court opposing Heard’s request, contending that the actress was “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse” and to turn the tide of negative publicity surrounding her decision to file for divorce days after Depp’s mother died (Rosenbaum, 2016). Heard and Depp separated the day following the alleged abuse and by Monday, Heard had filed for divorce.
Other inconsistencies surrounding this alleged abuse incident came to light, after the 911 call was leaked. The call was timestamped 8:37pm on May 21 2016, which is around the time Heard claims Depp threw a cellphone at her face and tore out her hair. Heard claims the caller was her friend io Tillett Wright, but the caller refused to identify themselves on the call. Though Wright was across the country during the incident, Heard claimed that she heard the altercation over the phone and was worried, so she decided to call the police. However, phone records show that Wright did not actually call the police until 10:09 pm, which is an entire hour and a half after Heard was allegedly attacked. This suggests Wright lied under oath, when she stated that she called the police immediately following her phone call with Amber, because she overheard the altercation. It is believed that another one of Ms. Heard’s friend, Raquel Pennington made the original 911 call, as she lived rent free in one of Depp’s other apartments nearby and was one of the first people to arrive on the scene. When asked by police if she made the original 911 call, she did not take ownership, citing that Wright had already called them (Armecin, 2020). This means both Pennington and Wright testified under oath that the phone call was made at a time that phone records disprove. Eleanor Laws QC, representing Mr Depp, told Heard: ‘My suggestion is that they have all got their heads together. You, Rocky Pennington and Josh Drew have got your heads together to come up with a graphic scene of damage in penthouse three and penthouse five. All of you have said that the officers must have seen it’ (Chaudhary & May, 2021).
As previously stated, Heard’s face was caught on surveillance camera, in which no bruises were visible and police that arrived on the scene also found no evidence of facial bruising or any sign of property damage. However, a second patrol of officers were called to the penthouse that same night. Depp’s lawyer accused Heard and her friends of an ambush and a hoax, stating that “they set Mr Depp up by calling the cops but the first attempt didn’t do the trick.” Waldman continued, “The officers came to the penthouses, thoroughly searched and interviewed, and left after seeing no damage to face or property. So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911” (Armecin, 2020).
Actor and comedian Doug Stanhope wrote an article for The Wrap in 2020, titled “Johnny Depp Is Being Blackmailed by Amber Heard – Here’s How I Know (Guest Column).” In the article, Stanhope recalls how he and other friends in their circle witnessed Heard manipulate him for years, but were hesitant to bring it up to Depp, out of worry he would axe them out of his life and fall deeper into the pits of hell with Heard. Stanhope wrote, “My girlfriend, Bingo, and I have known Johnny Depp for a few years now. We have watched Amber Heard f— with him at his weakest — or watched him at his weakest from being f—ed with — for the entire time we’ve known him. And we didn’t say s—. Because he’s Johnny Depp.” He goes on to state that he didn’t know a single person who felt differently about Depp, but no one would say it to Depp’s face (Stanhope, 2020).
Stanhope continues, “Bingo and I were at Johnny’s house for most of that Saturday until just before the alleged assault. We assumed initially that his dour mood was because of his mother’s death the day before. But he opened up in the most vulnerable of ways that it was not only his mother, but that Amber was now going to leave him, threatening to lie about him publicly in any and every possible duplicitous way if he didn’t agree to her terms. Blackmail is what I would imagine other people might put it, including the manner in which he is now being vilified. We stopped not saying s—.” Bingo and Stanhope finally told Depp that they were aware how much of a “manipulative a-hole” Heard was and how their entire circle had agreed since the day they met, but feared telling him. Stanhope also said “As he finally felt like he could sleep, we left him. From what we now read in the news, later that night the police were called to his house for a domestic dispute. Finding no criminal act had occurred and no signs of physical abuse, the police left. Everything Johnny had told us that she’d been threatening had actually come to be. It blew up in the news, raced through the Internet like a plague and blew up on Twitter like it was the McMartin child abuse scandal. People are swarming with torches on social media” (Stanhope, 2020).
Stanhope: “But any one of my friends will tell you I always call them out on bulls—. Abusing women is bulls—. Johnny doesn’t abuse anyone. And he told me that day ahead of time that she’d pull some kind of s— like this.
Johnny Depp got used, manipulated, set up and made to look like an a–hole. And he saw it coming and didn’t or couldn’t do anything to stop it.
He may never talk to me again for saying it but I’d never forgive myself for not coming to his defense out of fear or ego.
I stand up for my friends and I tell the f—ing truth” (Stanhope, 2020).
In the past, Amber has pleaded guilty to producing a false document in the case of smuggling their dogs into Australia and breaking quarantine laws (Rosenbaum, 2016).
In my previous article, I discussed how audio recordings leaked of Ms. Heard admitting to repeatedly physically attacking Depp, making fun of him for always fleeing fights, and calling him a baby for doing so. The following is an excerpt from another such video, where Heard admits to but repeatedly attempts to scapegoat her habit of throwing pots and vases at Depp.
AH: “You run away every single fight.”
AH: “You do not fight for me.” “you want to make it easy on you, so you split. You don’t fight for me, you don’t fight when there’s a problem, you don’t come to me”
AH: “You take me for granted.”
JD: “That’s not true. That’s not true. Im not the one that f***ing throws f***ing pots and whatever the f*** else at me.”
AH: “That’s different. (laughing) one does not negate the other. That’s irrelevant, that’s a complete non-sequitur. Just because I’ve thrown pots and pans does not mean that you come and knock on the door.”
JD: chimes in to add “vases” to which Heard says:
AH: “Just because I throw vases does not mean that you come and knock on the door.
JD: you seem to be saying that there’s this cowardice in me that runs away and I don’t fight for you.”
AH: “And you’re justifying that by saying i throw pots and pans? Okay cool, let’s talk about everything you do wrong.”
AH becomes audibly frustrated
JD: “The only time i ever threw anything at you was when you f***ing threw the cans at me in Australia.”
AH: “Why are you trying to justify who throws things based on whether or not you come knocking on the door? I don’t get how it f***ing comes together.”
JD: “Because that is a f***ing irrational and violent maneuver – so a man would want to get out of that area so that he doesn’t get so fucking angry that he actually does pop the f***ing wife.”
AH: “How does one inform the other?”
Further adding fuel to the abuse claims fire, hours after Heard’s sister Whitney Henriquez testified that Amber had never attacked her and that she was not afraid of her, Depp’s legal team said they received video evidence from unused reality TV footage circa 2006 or 2007, in which Heard’s sister can be seen speaking to friends about a fight she got into with Heard. One of the friends can be heard saying, “Did you get in a fight or something?” and “I can’t believe Amber beat your ass.” Another appears to inspect Henriquez’s cheek and arm, and Henriquez says she is not going to talk about it. Heard’s sister insists their fight was only verbal and that her friends were attempting to dramatize something that never happened. She claimed her friends were “looking for injuries that were not there, trying to create a narrative to make something more interesting, to create something out of nothing,” Heard’s sister was a crucial witness in the trial, as she testified that she witnessed Depp strike her sister multiple times and that Heard punched Depp on one occasion, to defend Henriquez, as she believed Depp was going to push her down the stairs. However, Depp’s lawyers aren’t buying the story and assert that she is only attempting to tailor her evidence to fit with her sister’s version of events, especially concerning the reason why Heard would have punched Depp (PerthNow, 2020).
There is countless video, photographic, and testimonial evidence that Amber Heard is a habitual liar who would gaslight Depp on a regular basis. Heard admitted to being physically abusive and that Depp would only ever flee fights. The allegations made against Depp have countless inconsistencies or outright fabrications. Heard could face up to three years in prison if proven to have falsified bruises or other evidence of abuse. It is clear that Ms. Heard, whatever her original intentions in marrying Johnny Depp were, has not been honest in her intentions following the divorce. She did not in fact donate the $7 million she received from the divorce settlement to charity. While Depp may have lost his defamation suit against The Sun, his battle is not over yet. Depp’s team is planning to appeal the verdict in the case against The Sun and he still has a court case coming up in the US, in which he is suing Amber Heard personally for defamation, to the tune of $50 million. This battle is far from over. Heard may have managed to keep her various employment positions as an actress, L’oreal spokesperson, and ACLU ambassador for women’s rights, but the tide of public opinion is turning, if it hasn’t completely turned in favor of Johnny Depp. This case is much bigger than just two celebrities’ he said-she said drama, it’s about preserving the right of innocence until proven guilty, it’s about protecting male survivors of abuse just as we seek to protect women, and it’s about preserving truth and due process, at all costs, no matter how hard some may try to intimidate victims who don’t have a voice.
Armecin, C. (2020, April 28). Amber Heard accused of abuse ‘hoax’ against ex Johnny Depp After 911 call leaked. International Business Times. https://www.ibtimes.com/amber-heard-accused-abuse-hoax-against-ex-johnny…
Ashford, B. (2020, February 1). EXCLUSIVE: ‘I can’t promise I won’t get physical again, I get so mad I lose it.’ Listen as Amber Heard admits to ‘hitting’ ex-husband Johnny Depp and pelting him with pots, pans and vases in explosive audio confession. Daily Mail Australia. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7947733/Amber-Heard-admits-hitt…
Chaudhary, V., & May, L. (2020, July 21). Amber Heard and two friends ‘put their heads together’ to lie about Johnny Depp attacking her and smashing up penthouse after police said they saw no injuries or damage. Daily Mail Australia. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8541703/Amber-Heard-two-friends…
Emmanuele, J. (2021, January 9). Amber Heard’s rep reveals why she hasn’t donated her $7 million divorce settlement yet. Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/amber-heard-hasnt-donated-her-johnn…
James, D. (2021, January). Amber Heard admits she failed to make her promised $7 million charitable donation. We Got This Covered. https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/amber-heard-admits-failed-promised-7…
PerthNow. (2020, July 25). Amber Heard’s sister forced to deny lying to court after Johnny Depp’s lawyers submit late video evidence. PerthNow. https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/aber-heards-sister-f…
Rosenbaum, C. (2016, May 27). Amber Heard obtains restraining order against Johnny Depp, citing physical abuse. Buzzfeed News. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/claudiarosenbaum/amber-heard-johnny…
Stanhope, D. (2020, February 5). Johnny Depp is being blackmailed by Amber Heard – Here’s how I know (guest column). The Wrap. https://www.thewrap.com/johnny-depp-is-being-blackmailed-by-amber-heard-…