Amber Heard waits before the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax. Photo / AP
Amber Heard waits before the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax. Photo / AP
Amber Heard has "years worth of notes" from her therapist which she claims proved Johnny Depp abused her.
The Aquaman actress claimed to have been reporting physical abuse within their relationship since 2011 and her counsellor had kept a record of their sessions, but a judge ruled them to behearsay and refused to make them available to the jury in her and her former spouse's recent defamation trial.
The actress claims the notes taken by her therapist will finally prove Depp's abuse. Photo / Getty Images
Speaking in her sit-down interview with NBC's Savannah Guthrie, Heard said: "There's a binder worth of years of notes dating back to 2011, from the very beginning of my relationship, that were taken by my doctor who I was reporting the abuse to...
"Her notes represented years of real-time explanations of what was going on."
According to the interviewer, In January 2012, Heard told her therapist the Black Mass star had "hit her, threw her on the floor" and a 2013 note stated Depp had "threw her against a wall and threatened to kill her".
Elsewhere in the clip released on Thursday and shown on Peacock, the Danish Girl actress recalled how daunting it was to go into court every day, resulting in extra security measures being implemented.
She said: "Every single day I passed city blocks lined with people holding signs saying things that I couldn't repeat on television.
"They had to establish barricades to protect me so I could drive into a protected entrance of the courthouse. Every single day that's how I walked in the court."
Johnny Depp And Amber Heard met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011. Photo / Getty Images
Although the case was televised, Heard's legal team had made a bid to keep cameras out of the courtroom.
She said: "I didn't want this to be a thing. I didn't want it to be a trial. I didn't want it to be a part of the public record but when someone sues you, you don't really have a choice."
After a six-week trial, the 59-year-old actor - who had sued over an op-ed the actress wrote in 2018 about being a victim of domestic abuse - was awarded US$10 million ($15 million) in compensatory damages and US$5 million in punitive damages, which the judge lowered to US$350,000 ($551,000) because of a cap in the state of Virginia, while Heard was awarded US$2 million ($3.1 million) compensatory damages for her counter suit.
And the Pirates of the Caribbean star's legal team have accused Heard of "reimagining" the events of the trial in her interview with Guthrie.
They said in a statement: "It's unfortunate that while Johnny is looking to move forward with his life, the defendant and her team are back to repeating, reimagining and re-litigating matters that have already been decided by the court and a verdict that was unanimously and unequivocally decided by a jury in Johnny's favour."
FAMILY VIOLENCE
How to get help
If you're in danger now: • Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you. • Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you. • Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else. • If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay. Where to go for help or more information: • Women's Refuge: Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7) • Shine: Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7) • It's Not Ok: Family violence information line - 0800 456 450 • Shakti:Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children. Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7) • Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence • Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services • White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women How to hide your visit: If you are reading this information on the Herald website and you're worried that someone using the same computer will find out what you've been looking at, you can follow the steps at the link here to hide your visit. Each of the websites above also has a section that outlines this process.
