Johnny Depp's multimillion-dollar trial against Amber Heard gets underway. Video / AP
Today in the ongoing saga that is Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard's explosive defamation case, a doctor's videotaped deposition has revealed a gruesome tale about a finger.
The multi-million dollar trial taking place in Fairfax, Virginia, began when Depp sued Heard for US$50 million over an op-ed piece she wrote for The Washington Post. The actress said she was a victim of domestic violence, but did not name Depp. She responded to his move by countersuing for US$100 million.
According to Fox News, the latest accusation sees Depp's "private addiction doctor", David Kipper, alleging a chunk of the Pirates of the Caribbean star's finger was discovered by his chef following a violent altercation with his ex-wife.
The incident took place in Australia during what Heard has told the Virginia courtroom was a "three-day hostage situation" in which Depp, amid filming for Pirates of the Caribbean attacked her in a drug-fuelled rampage.
While the actress said her former husband tore their accommodation apart, she has also denied throwing a vodka bottle at Depp and slicing off part of his finger, during the 2015 episode Down Under.
Depp versus Heard was sparked when the actress wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post. Heard said she was a victim of domestic violence, but did not name Depp. Photo / Getty Images
Sources attending the trial claimed British music journalist Eve Barlow was reprimanded by the judge for tweeting and texting from the front row of the courtroom, reports the New York Post.
Barlow was allegedly acting as if she was part of the actress's legal team and even tried to intervene in the court proceedings.
She reportedly tried to advocate for Heard by asking her legal team to show Judge Penney Azcarate that a witness for Depp, Gina Deuters, was compromised.
Barlow brought up a social media post from Deuters, claiming it was a recent post from the current trial.
However, the post was actually shared in 2021 during Depp's previous trial against The Sun.
Deuters, who is married to Depp's longtime employee Stephen Deuters, admitted on Thursday that she had seen clips of the trial online before she gave her testimony.
She was dismissed from the courtroom and her testimony struck from the record.
In response, Depp's lawyers pushed a motion to have Barlow permanently barred from the courtroom, which was approved by the judge.
Since the trial began, a veritable circus of testimonies have been made and a list of names including James Franco, Paul Bettany and Elon Musk have been lined up to contribute their experiences of the once loved-up pair.
Last week Bang! Showbiz reported that Depp's text messages about his ex's "rotting corpse" had been read out in court.
Issac Baruch - a long-time friend and neighbour of the former Fantastic Beasts star - reportedly received a text message back in October 2016 which claimed that Amber had ruined their "f***ing cool life".
According to Entertainment Weekly, the text read: "[I hope her] rotting corpse is decomposing in the f***ing trunk of a Honda Civic. That **** ruined such a f***ing cool life we had for a while."
On Monday it was reported that Depp's bodyguard was called upon during proceedings and claimed Heard repeatedly attacked the actor.
Bodyguard Sean Bett revealed he had documented some of Depp's injuries which included a swollen cheekbone, a scratched nose, forehead and cheek from multiple altercations.
Bett alleged the former happy couple fought all the time. He told the court in a conversation with Heard he said: "'You guys are either going to kill each other or be in jail.' She said with tears, 'But I love him and I'm not going to lose him.'"
The bodyguard, who has worked for Depp for almost a decade, also revealed Heard's friends lived rent-free at her then husband's Los Angeles homes and had the use of one of Depp's vehicles, a Dodge Challenger.
"They were taking advantage of him and being extra nice to the hand that feeds them and that just progressed over a period of time."
Heard's lawyer also brought shocking allegations against Depp on Monday.
Elaine Bredehoft claimed Depp "penetrated" the Aquaman actress with "a liquor bottle" during a "hostage situation" over three days in Australia in 2015.
She told the jury: "He has her jammed up against the bar. He has hurled bottles and bottles at her. He has dragged her across the floor on the broken bottles.
"He has punched her. He has kicked her. He has told her he's going to f***ing kill her, and he f***ing hates her. He's pounding at her, pounding at her. And then, he penetrates her with a liquor bottle."
A spokesman for Depp denied the accusations, stating: "These fictitious claims were never made at the onset of Amber's allegations in 2016, and only advantageously surfaced years later once she was sued for defamation after noting in her op-ed that she was a victim of 'sexual violence'."
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