Kate Moss testifies in help of Johnny Depp in defamation case By Reuters

By Lisa Richwine

(Reuters) – British mannequin Kate Moss briefly took the witness stand within the defamation battle between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard on Wednesday as his attorneys tried to persuade a jury that Heard was the abuser of their relationship.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star, 58, is suing Heard in Virginia for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she stated she was a sufferer of home abuse. Heard, 36, has countersued for $100 million, arguing that Depp smeared her when his lawyer stated her claims have been a “hoax.”

Depp’s attorneys on Wednesday referred to as Moss as a rebuttal witness after Heard had testified a few time she feared Depp would push her sister down a staircase. Heard stated she recalled “rumors” of Depp pushing Moss down a flight of stairs and she or he slapped Depp to cease him from harming her sister.

Moss, who dated Depp from 1994 to 1998, testified that she slipped on a staircase and injured her again throughout a trip the couple took in Jamaica. Depp rushed to assist her, carried her to her room and summoned medical providers, she stated.

“He by no means pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs,” stated Moss, who appeared through video from England.

Closing arguments within the case, which is being heard in Virginia, are scheduled for Friday.

Depp in earlier testimony instructed jurors that he by no means hit Heard and argued that she was the one who turned violent.

The pair met in 2011 whereas filming “The Rum Diary” and wed in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized about two years later.

On the heart of the authorized case is a December 2018 opinion piece by Heard that appeared within the Washington Publish. The article by no means talked about Depp by title, however his lawyer instructed jurors it was clear that Heard was referring to him when she stated she was “a public determine representing home abuse.”

Depp, as soon as amongst Hollywood’s greatest stars, stated Heard’s allegations value him “every part.” A brand new “Pirates” film was placed on maintain, and Depp was changed within the “Improbable Beasts” movie franchise, a “Harry Potter” spinoff.

Heard’s attorneys have argued that she instructed the reality and that her opinion was protected free speech below the U.S. Structure’s First Modification.

Depp misplaced a libel case lower than two years in the past towards the Solar, a British tabloid, that labeled him a “spouse beater.” A London Excessive Court docket choose dominated that he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.

Depp’s legal professionals filed the U.S. case in Fairfax County, Virginia, as a result of the Washington Publish is printed there. The newspaper is just not a defendant.