Why Johnny Depp Took the Stand
On April 19, Depp took the stand and explained why he chose to pursue the high-profile defamation case.
“I felt it my responsibility to stand up not only for myself in my instance, but stand up for my children who at the time were 14 and 16,” the dad of Lily-Rose Depp, 22 and Jack Depp, 20, with ex Vanessa Paradis, testified, NBC News reported. “They were in high school and I thought it was diabolical that my children would have to go to school and have their friends or people in school approach them with the infamous People magazine cover with Miss Heard with a dark bruise on her face.” The cover, released in June 2016, featured a photo taken from Heard’s friend of the actress visibly injured.
Depp went on to say he never reached the point of striking Heard “in any way” nor has he ever struck any woman in his life.
“It’s been six years of trying times,” Depp told the court. “It’s really strange when one day you’re Cinderella so to speak, and zero point six seconds you’re Quasimodo. And I didn’t deserve that, nor did my children, nor did the people who believed in me for all these years. I didn’t want anybody to believe that I had done them wrong or that I had lied to them or that I was a fraud.”
Depp is expected to remain on the stand for cross examination on April 20 before Heard takes the stand.