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Amber Heard in the Fairfax courtroom
Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / POOL / EPA
In the defamation trial between "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp, 58, and his ex-wife Amber Heard, 36, a psychologist and a police officer took the witness stand, among others.
In the Fairfax County Courthouse in the US state of Virginia, the testimony of police officer Melissa Saenz was shown in a previously recorded video link.
Saenz said she was called to their Los Angeles penthouse after the couple had an argument in May 2016.
She found Heard crying but found no signs of injury or damage to property in the home.
Saenz testified that she did not see Heard as a victim of domestic violence.
A few days after the incident, the actress told authorities that Depp had injured her.
Forensic psychologist Shannon Curry testified that she diagnosed Heard with borderline personality disorder.
Curry had been hired by Depp's attorneys to prepare an expert opinion on Heard.
Among other things, she checked health records and audio recordings and met the actress twice for tests.
In her estimation, Heard tends towards emotional instability and sudden outbursts of anger, which could also be accompanied by violence.
Depp's lawyers hope the statement will support the actor's claim, who described himself as a victim in the conflicted relationship.
On the witness stand, Depp declared under oath that he never hit Heard.
On Monday he had completed his four-day statements.
Cross-examined by his ex-wife's lawyers, he was confronted with videos, photos and audio recordings, some of them shocking, that Heard's lawyers wanted to paint a picture of Depp as an addict with violent breakdowns.
In a video recorded by Heard, he thrashes angrily in a kitchen in the morning, drinks a large glass of wine and yells that he's going to show her what "crazy" is.
Under cross-examination, Depp said he attacked "some kitchen cabinets" but not Heard.
The day before, he had described alleged violent outbursts by the »Aquaman« actress in the defamation process.
During an argument in 2015, she threw a vodka bottle at him.
Part of his middle finger was severed.
Heard has denied this allegation in the past.
She is scheduled to take the witness stand at a later date.
Depp accuses his ex-wife of making false statements in a 2018 op-ed by the Washington Post on domestic violence.
As a result, she damaged his reputation, it said.
Heard, in turn, sees her own reputation damaged by Depp's allegations of perjury and fraud.
He is demanding around $50 million in damages and a $350,000 fine from Heard for defamation.
The actress, for her part, is demanding $100 million in damages for defamation, as well as a $350,000 fine.
Depp and Heard married in 2015 but split after 15 months of marriage.
The two faced each other in a trial in London in 2020.
Depp had sued the Sun tabloid over an article alleging he physically abused Heard.
After a week-long legal battle, Depp suffered defeat and the lawsuit was dismissed.
wit/dpa