Depp said he was "a gentleman" who refused to be violent toward her. And she made fun of Depp for having a "lazy eye" that required him to wear an eyepatch when he was younger, he testified.ĭepp's father was often the target of Betty Sue's abuse. She mocked his brother for wearing glasses and having big front teeth, calling him "four-eyes" and "bucktooth," Depp said. "When she walked past, you shield yourself, because you didn't know what was going to happen," he said.ĭepp's mother was emotionally abusive as well, he said. During his testimony, he raised his arms up to his face to demonstrate how he would flinch and protect himself from physical attacks when his mother was nearby. Depp said they "never had any sense of physical safety or security" in their home. "As we were older, we decided that once we had our own home, that we were never going to repeat in our own home anything similar to our childhood," Dembrowski testified earlier in the trial.Īccording to Depp and Dembrowski, their mother was frequently violent toward them, their siblings, and their father. While on the stand on Tuesday, Depp went into great detail about his turbulent childhood, which he said was filled with abuse from his mother, Betty Sue Palmer.ĭepp said his mother could be "quite cruel" and was physically abusive in many ways, from flinging ashtrays at him to beating him with a high-heeled shoe.Įarlier in the trial, Depp's sister, Christi Dembrowski, testified about their childhood abuse, saying both she and Depp vowed to never perpetuate that abuse with their own families. "I wanted to clear my children of this horrid thing that they were having to read about their father which was untrue," he said. Depp has a son and daughter from his prior relationship with French actress Vanessa Paradis. He said he especially felt the need to defend himself against the accusations on behalf of his two children, who were in high school when he and Heard got divorced. "One day you're Cinderella, so to speak," he said. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life," Depp said.ĭepp said he felt the need to speak up about the accusations when they started to permeate Hollywood, and felt himself starting to become a pariah. "There were arguments and things of that nature, but never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms.
He called Heard's allegations "disturbing" saying they came as a "complete shock" to him. Heard responded to Depp's lawsuit with a $100 million counterclaim alleging he assaulted her on multiple occasions before and during their marriage.ĭepp took the stand Tuesday afternoon, speaking about Heard's allegations publicly for the very first time. The defamation lawsuit asks for $50 million in damages.ĭepp and Heard split in 2016 after just over a year of marriage, after Heard appeared in court with a bruised face and requested a restraining order against Depp. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star is suing Heard, claiming that she ruined his career and reputation by insinuating that she had been the victim of domestic violence at his hands.
Johnny Depp admitted that he and ex-wife Amber Heard argued frequently during their relationship, but that he never crossed the line to hitting her, as he took the stand on Tuesday in his defamation case against the actress. He said they argued during their relationship but he has never assaulted her or any other woman. On Tuesday, Depp took the stand to deny Heard's "disturbing allegations." Johnny Depp has taken ex-wife Amber Heard to court, accusing her of making up domestic violence claims. Actor Johnny Depp testifies at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse as his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard continues, in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., April 19, 2022.