Depp’s attorneys rest after 13 days of testimony in case against Heard

Attorneys for Johnny Depp rested on Tuesday after 13 days of testimony in the actor's $50m defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard. In court in Virginia, Heard's attorneys demanded the judge dismiss the action.

Without jurors present, lawyer Ben Rottenborn asked the judge, Penney Azcarate, "to strike the plaintiff's evidence and award summary judgment in whole or in part to Ms Heard".

Rottenborn argued that Depp abused Amber in "non-physical" ways, pointing to alleged evidence of emotional, mental and psychological abuse presented in recordings and "menacing statements", outside disputed incidents of a physical nature.

The petition to dismiss was largely procedural. After hearing counter-arguments from Depp's counsel, Azcarate ruled the trial would proceed.

Depp alleges that a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is not a defendant in the case, defamed him and caused him to lose work.

The jury heard from more than two dozen witnesses called by Depp's attorneys including three days of testimony by Depp himself. Many, including several security guards, testified about explosive verbal fights between Depp and Heard.

Depp claims Heard resorted to violence and that he never physically abused her.

Erin Falati, Heard's nurse, appeared via pre-recorded video, telling the court Heard said she had issues with cocaine and alcohol and struggled with jealousy, anxiety and codependency in relationships including that with Depp.

Heard's coping skills, the court was told, involved "compulsive anger and yelling".

A note from Falati displayed in court showed an instance when she saw Heard bleeding from her lip, allegedly after an altercation with Depp.

Depp's final witness, the forensic accountant Mike Spindler, estimated that Depp lost $40m in earnings as a result of Heard's Washington Post article in which she described herself as a survivor of domestic abuse.

Depp's highest-earning years came in 2010 and 2011, when he earned about $70m a year. By 2016, Depp was earning $20m. He earned $45m a year later, followed by $20m in 2019 and 2020. Depp's attorneys claim Heard's article not only deprived him of new movie roles, including the sixth installment of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but affected his profit participation in films already made.

The trial is in its fourth week. Heard's lawyers said in opening statements that she was physically and sexually abused by her then husband on multiple occasions.

Heard is expected to take the stand after jurors hear from a clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr Dawn Hughes.

Hughes's testimony is expected to contest claims made by a Depp witness, Dr Shannon Curry, who told the court that in her analysis of Heard, relying on previous medical notes and her interpretation of a personality survey involving 567 true-false questions and a single examination, the actor has borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.

The court has heard tapes of Depp accusing his former wife of borderline personality disorder during verbal disputes. Dr Curry said people with the disorder could resort to "very extreme behaviors" as they attempted to prevent abandonment by partners.

Heard's mental health expert, Hughes, has reportedly made her own evaluation of Heard that is expected to contradict Curry's opinion on the actor's mental health.

Hughes has testified as an expert in abusive relationships in the trials of the Nxivm cult founder, Keith Raniere, and the singer R Kelly. Both were convicted.

Heard's defence comes days after the 36-year-old actor fired her media and PR outreach team. An online petition calling for her removal from the upcoming film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has attracted more than 3m signatures.

The trial continues.