Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s marriage counselor said Thursday that the actress initiated physical fights more than once, but that the couple engaged in ‘mutual abuse.’
Dr. Laurel Anderson, a marriage counselor who worked with the former spouses for a total of 21 sessions beginning in October 2015, gave revealing video testimony during Depp’s $100million defamation trial in Virginia.
‘I know she led (the fights) on more than one occasion and started it to keep him with her because abandonment and having him leave was her worst nightmare,’ Dr. Anderson said.
‘Miss Heard reported that it was a point of pride to her, if she felt disrespected to initiate a fight. Her father had beaten her, she was not going to end.
‘If he was going to leave she would strike him to keep him there. She would rather be in a fight than have him leave.’
Asked if it was her assessment that while Depp said he wasn’t violent with any of his other partners, there was violence from him towards Heard, she said yes.
She said: ‘He had been well controlled for almost 20, 30 years and both (Depp and Heard) were victims of abuse in their homes. I thought he’d been well controlled for decades and with Miss Heard he was triggered and they engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse.’
Dr. Laurel Anderson, a marriage counselor who worked with the couple for a total of 21 sessions beginning in October 2015, gave revealing testimony during Depp’s $100million defamation trial in Virginia
Dr. Anderson said in video testimony, ‘I know she led (the fight) on more than one occasion and started it to keep him with her because abandonment and having him leave was her worst nightmare’
Dr. Anderson’s notes show that Heard claimed Depp told her: ‘Johnny says no one likes you, you’re getting fame from me. I’m falling out of love with you, who*e.’ Dr. Anderson described Depp and Heard arguing as going ‘back and forth firing at each other. They don’t communicate, they have terrible skills’
Dr. Anderson gave the couple the fake names ‘Ann Henry’ and ‘Joey Davis’, apparently to protect their identities.
For their first meeting she sat with the former couple for three-and-a-half hours, Dr. Anderson said.
In her notes she said that one time one of the parties ‘walked out’, but she was not clear who.
Depp and Heard are seen in September 2015 in Venice, Italy – the same year a blowout fight in Australia took place
The sessions continued until March 2016 when a friend of Depp and Heard asked Dr. Anderson to make a house call but she resisted as she had never done that.
She said: ‘I thought he (Deppp) was having difficulty in the sessions and I think it was something about the process between the two of them.’
Asked what difficulty, she said: ‘Having a voice. Miss Heard had a jackhammer style of talking. She was very amped up. He had trouble talking at a similar pace. He was cut off a lot.
‘I’m guessing this is what it was. This is how he didn’t have a voice. He couldn’t talk with her rapid-fire way of conversation so he was really overwhelmed.’
Asked if Heard reported violence on the part of Depp, Dr. Anderson said yes.
She recalled seeing photos of Heard with a bruised face with bruising around her eyes, though she never witnessed the abuse herself.
Dr. Anderson’s notes show that Heard claimed Depp told her: ‘Johnny says no one likes you, you’re getting fame from me. I’m falling out of love with you, who*e.’
Dr. Anderson described Depp and Heard arguing as going ‘back and forth firing at each other. They don’t communicate, they have terrible skills.’
Heard ‘talked over’ Depp and Dr. Anderson had to tell her that a conversation was ‘impossible’ if she was ‘barraging’ the conversation.
Johnny Depp is seen listening as Dr. Anderson testifies on the third day of his defamation trial against Heard
During a session in the summer of 2016, Depp recounted how there was a ‘huge fight’ on Heard’s 30th birthday on April 22 that year. Depp said it was ‘chaotic, violent but she (Heard) gave as good as she got.’ According to Dr. Anderson’s notes, Heard ‘eventually initiated the hitting herself’ and talked about ‘trying to initiate a fight one night by slapping him,’ referring to Depp
In December 2015, Amber Heard sent Dr. Anderson asking for a phone call after her and Johnny’s relationship continued to turn sour
As part of Depp’s defamation case against Heard, he included images of his own bruised and battered face (pictured ) following Heard’s alleged attacks
These photos were previously shown in court from May 2016 of Amber Heard with an apparently bruised cheek
Depp claimed that Heard hit him in the jaw, Dr. Anderson’s notes said – while he would swing at her.
The notes, which were read to the jury, said: ‘He (Depp) hits her (Heard), no closed fist. She hits back and starts it for pride because her father hit her.’
Dr. Anderson told the court: ‘This is her reporting physical abuse, so when she said he hits her, an open hand slap, she says she hits back and now she starts it and sometimes hits first.
‘Her history is having been violated by her father, physically. A lot of things trigger her, if she’s triggered she would hit him first.
‘She was sensitive to feeling disrespected. If she felt disrespected – she had come out of her background history feeling her pride needed to dominate and she needed to stand up for herself.’
Asked about a reference to Heard saying she ‘socked’ Depp, Dr. Anderson said: ‘She felt she had to hit him back if he hit her. She always did.’
During a phone session with Heard, Dr. Anderson’s notes said that Heard said she ‘slapped (Depp) as he sat there incoherently.’
Dr. Anderson said that Heard told her how Depp ‘was f**** up on a lot of drugs and she slapped him because he was being incoherent and talking about being with another woman.
‘I think she felt demeaned and threatened.’
During a session in the summer of 2016, Depp recounted how there was a ‘huge fight’ on Heard’s 30th birthday on April 22 that year.
Depp said it was ‘chaotic, violent but she (Heard) gave as good as she got.’
According to Dr. Anderson’s notes, Heard ‘eventually initiated the hitting herself’ and talked about ‘trying to initiate a fight one night by slapping him,’ referring to Depp.
Heard went to see Dr. Anderson in person to show her the bruises on her face she claims were inflicted by Depp during their last fight in May 2016.
Gina Deuters, who works in visual effects and has known Depp since 2005. She called him a ‘good friend’. Her husband Stephen works for Depp’s film company Infinitum Nihil
The trial is expected to last six to seven weeks and celebrities tipped to give evidence include James Franco, Paul Bettany and Ellen Barkin
Next on the stand was Gina Deuters, who works in visual effects and has known Depp since 2005. She called him a ‘good friend’. Her husband Stephen works for Depp’s film company Infinitum Nihil.
Deuters recalled Depp and Heard being ‘pretty in love’ in the early days of their relationship. Deuters remembered thinking Heard was ‘naturally beautiful’ and admiring her skin.
They next ran into each other while Depp was doing promotion for his film The Lone Ranger.
Deuters recalled an incident where Depp ‘was hiding a drink on the side of his chair and taking secret sips.’
Heard saw it and was ‘quite angry about it,’ Deuters said, adding that she gave Depp a ‘telling off, a bit like telling off a child.’
She said that Heard was ‘really angry, like dominance, just very angry,’
Depp was ‘quite exhausted by the whole being told off like a child.’
Deuters said that she had seen Depp smoke marijuana and do cocaine and done the same drugs.
At Depp’s wedding to Heard on his private island in the Bahamas, Deuters said that Heard gave her MDMA, the first time she had tried the drug.
She said: ‘I was a bit hungover from the day before and I imagine those two saw me. When they first dropped the pill in my hand, I thought it was a vitamin supplement. I decided to throw caution to the wind and try it.’
After 45 minutes of Deuters giving evidence Judge Penney Azcarate paused and asked her if she had watched any testimony of the trial.
Deuters said that she had watched some clips, and Judge Azcarate excused her, adding that she would instruct the jury to strike the testimony.
Evidence was submitted into evidence. These are : Dr. David Kippers initial 2014 consultation with Depp and subsequent progress notes
The court heard from Dr David Kipper, a Beverly Hills doctor who treats celebrities for addiction and whose previous clients have included Ozzy Osborne.
Depp hired him to treat him for opioid addiction in May 2014 and engineered a plan whereby he would detox on his island in the Bahamas.
Kipper was asked about texts he exchanged with Depp in August 2014.
Appearing via video in a pre-recorded deposition, Kipper was asked if he remembered a text from Depp in which he said: ‘I shot a few negroes in a club on Sunset Boulevard.’
Kipper said he didn’t remember the text.
He said: ‘That may have been an attempt at humor.’
In another text to Kipper, Depp said: ‘Hit me when you’re drunk it will be far less boring.’
He also urged Kipper to ‘run for the f****** hills!!!’
Unhinged texts Depp sent to Kipper were read in court.
On March 7, 2015, Depp wrote, ‘Hi f*ck man had another one. I cannot live like this. She is as full of sh*t as a Christmas Goose.
‘I’m done. NO MORE!!!! Constant insults released from a malicious evil and vindictive c*nt!!!!! You know what’s far more hurtful than her venomous and degrading educational ranting??? Her hideously and purposely hurtful tirades and her goddamn shocking treatment of the man she was meant to love above all.’
Dep continued: ‘Here’s the real deal mate…her obsession with herself is far more important. She is so f**king ambitious!!!! She’s so desperate for success and fame. That’s probably why I was acquired, mate. She has hammered me with what a sad old man has been I am.
‘I’m so very sad.’
On March 19, 2015, after the infamous Australia blowout argument, Depp wrote, ‘Most sincere apologies doc…(you are the) man who has done more for me than anyone ever. There was no call for my spineless and base behavior
‘I chopped off my left finger as a reminder I should never cut off my finger again. I cut the top of my middle finger off. What should I do? Go to the hospital? I’m so embarrassed for jumping into anything with her. F**K THE WORLD.’
On June 28. 2015, Depp wrote, ‘Thank you my darling Kipper. Soon I must see you and just hang out. My deformed finger and I have no friends???
‘Amber and I have been absolutely perfect three months.
‘I’ve locked my monster child away and it has f**king worked.’