Amber Heard’s Lawyers Accuse Johnny Depp of Sexual Assault in Today’s Trial

Amber Heard‘s legal team stated Tuesday that her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, sexually assaulted her during the high-profile defamation case Depp filed against Heard.

This is the first time that Heard has made allegations of sexual abuse rather than physical abuse against Depp, according to Rolling Stone‘s coverage of the trial. In the opening day of her trial, Heard’s attorneys stated that she was sexually assaulted by Depp, as Rolling Stone characterized it, “during a black-out-drunk incident near the end of their troubled marriage.”

Depp is seeking $50 million in damages from Heard for an essay she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, in which she referred to herself as a victim of domestic abuse. Though Depp isn’t named, he claims that he is referred to throughout the piece and that this has hurt his career. Depp also disputes the allegations of abuse.

Heard then counterclaimed Depp for $100 million.

In the opening statements they made to Depp’s crew, Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez preemptively raised Heard’s sexual assault claims, which were then followed by her lawyers’ remarks. They described Heard as “a profoundly troubled person” that she was the one who acted out the domestic violence in the couple’s marriage.

Complicating the developing tale, Depp accused Heard of slicing off his finger with a bottle after she threw it at him and it exploded in his hand. According to Heard’s attorneys, Depp is deeply disturbed by alcohol and drug addiction, and that the injury was self-inflicted.

Ben Rottenborn, the attorney for Heard, read the entire essay during his opening statement, stating that it had nothing to do with Johnny Depp. He said that they will provide evidence of Depp harming Heard, despite the fact that he stated it had nothing to do with her.

Vasquez, one of Depp’s lawyers, further claimed Heard’s accusation of sexual assault “was never part of [Depp’s] allegations of abuse in 2016,” but that “she panicked and alleged sexual assault” once she realized the seriousness of her allegation.

Heard’s legal team also maintains that Depp only made the allegation that she cut his finger years after the incident occurred.

The case in Fairfax, Virginia, is expected to go on for more than a month.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788.

If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.