Johnny Depp’s Defamation Trial Day 2 Explained

Celebrity Lawyer Christopher C. Melcher explains Johnny Depp‘s defamation trial day Two on Wake Up America

“The accusations, the second that more and more of these things, as I said, metastasized and turned into fodder for the media, or once that happened-I lost, then…” explains Johnny Depp.

Reporter (00:25): Welcome back to Wake Up America. Actor Johnny Depp on the stand again in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard– day two. Now Depp details his stormy relationship with Heard and how it may have cost him his career.

Joining us now to discuss is clinical psychologist Dr. Katherine Coleman as well as celebrity lawyer Christopher C. Melcher, partner of top family law firm Walzer Melcher LLP. What do you make of Depp’s second day on the stand again? We saw some photos of when she allegedly threw a vodka bottle at him.

Katherine (01:03): It was a really interesting day to see Johnny Depp on the stand. And he really detailed a lot of what happened in their relationship and some of the things that stuck out to, to me, you know, the fact that, Heard withheld medication from him and probably the most crucial piece of evidence that was shared, um, in my opinion, was, was the tape where she was overheard saying, um, I’m not punching you, I’m just hitting you. And so Amber Heard, from what we’ve seen so far, it looks like she’s engaged in such emotional abuse at a minimum. Sounds like she’s admitted to physical abuse, typical gaslighting behaviors, very manipulative, really just a tumultuous relationship. I think that we have, as I mentioned yesterday, this tendency to believe that it’s just women who are victims of this, and in this case, it looks like Johnny Depp, um, really was in, in the seat here as, as the victim, at least based on what we’ve seen so far.

Reporter (01:59): Yeah. Chris, as Dr. Coleman just mentioned, there was that, that tape of, of her saying, you know, I’m not punching you or I’m hitting you. So that had to be obviously damning for her.

Chris (02:10): “Well, absolutely. Johnny’s done a great job yesterday establishing that he’s been the victim of physical abuse. So it wasn’t just the emotional kind of stuff that happens in these relationships. She threw a bottle at him, severed his finger, and put out a cigarette on his face. He has photographs of these things- she punched him and he also has a photograph of a bruise. She would’ve gone to jail for this, had he reported them. But there is this cycle of violence, where an abused partner will cover up and not go to court. So he has done a great job yesterday establishing that he was the victim,” explained top family law attorney Christopher C. Melcher.

Reporter (02:44): Yeah, Dr. Coleman. I was watching some coverage of it yesterday and some attorneys and psychologists said, well, let’s not forget that he is an actor. So he does know, you know, how to say things and, and you know, how to invoke emotion. Do you think that with all of these allegations, is he believable?

Katherine (03:02): I believe him. Um, I mean, I, I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt … But just because he’s an actor, doesn’t give him the right to lie on the stand, right. The fact that he is sworn in and we should be taking what he’s saying as truth…

Reporter (03:43): Everybody’s been watching Johnny Depp, but the other thing people have been watching is Amber Heard, because they have the two shots. So they see him testifying, but then that camera is on her. She’s showing very little emotion staring directly in the camera. How do you think that she’s being perceived? Do you think that she’s been talking to her attorneys on how to react?

Chris (04:07): “That’s right. Alison, it’s very, very difficult because the camera’s on her. She’s not supposed to react. It’s not her time to say anything. And you could see a time she looks tearful or she’s like maybe about to cry. Her look at the beginning of the case was much harder with her hair back and her harsh makeup … it wasn’t a soft look. So she did soften it up yesterday. She definitely will get on the stand, but you know, it’s not just his word. Now we have photographs and recordings that are going to be very difficult for her to explain,” stated the top family law attorney.

Reporter (04:42): Yeah. Dr. Coleman, Depp even talked a lot about it. He talked a lot about his substance abuse in his chaotic childhood, even going into detail about detox and, and what that was, is this too much information for him to share you think?

Katherine (04:56): … He wants to appear as a victim. And so I think sharing his history with his Mom, his substance abuse, the trials and tribulations of his relationship really helped to do that.

©2022 Wake Up America. No claims made to copyrighted material.

Aired 4/21/22