Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation trial against Amber Heard is underway in Virginia, with a doctor and nurse recounting the search for his severed fingertip in Australia.
Depp suffered the injury in March 2015, while he was in Queensland filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth instalment in the blockbuster franchise.
Depp has accused Heard of throwing a bottle at him, which severed the top of his middle finger. Heard claimed he likely caused the injury himself when he smashed a phone; her legal reps indicating text messages in which Depp admitted to “cutting” the finger himself.
Testifying via video, concierge doctor David Kipper said that he was summoned to the residence and cleaned Depp’s wound before taking him to the local emergency room. He also said that house staff were directed to search for the severed fingertip, which was found by Depp’s chef.
“He said he found it in the kitchen area,” Kipper said, adding that there was blood and broken glass in the home.
Heard has alleged that during the altercation, Depp beat, choked and sexually assaulted her, claiming she had cuts on her limbs following the assault. According to Kipper’s testimony, Heard was there and “seemed upset” but he didn’t notice any injuries, and she didn’t ask for medical attention.
Debbie Lloyd, a nurse who worked alongside Kipper, claimed a house manager found the severed fingertip and brought it to the emergency room, where Depp underwent reconstructive surgery.
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Both Kipper and Lloyd were hired to help Depp with drug abuse problems. They both testified that in August 2014 they had traveled to Depp’s private island in the Bahamas to “assist with a detox”, according to Variety.
Depp is expected to take the stand today, according to Page Six, with a cross-examination due tomorrow.
The actor is suing his ex-wife over a 2018 Washington Post column, in which she wrote about the backlash she received after claiming she was physically abused. The Post’s servers are based in Virginia, which is why the trial is being held there.
Whilst Depp is suing for $50 million, Heard is countersuing him for $100 million, alleging that his attorney defamed her by accusing her of fabricating her claims of abuse.
