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A woman named Beverly Leonard testified during Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's high-profile trial, stating that she had to step in during a physical altercation between Amber Heard and a traveling companion at the airport more than a decade ago. Leonard clarified that the fight was before Heard and Depp started dating and did not involve the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
Beverly Leonard stated in court that she met Heard in 2009 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where she worked at the time.
Beverly Leonard's testimony about the Amber Heard airport incident
Leonard said that she saw Amber Heard with a traveling companion while she was at the airport's baggage claim area.
“They got into an altercation where Ms. Heard was…had grabbed her traveling companion and pulled something from her neck. At that point, I got up and went over to try to break up what appeared to be a fight.”
Leonard stated that she then contacted a coworker to assist her.
“And I stepped in between them and separated them, stopping any further injuries or escalation.”
Leonard described Amber Heard as "aggressive" with her traveling partner.
“She had reached up and grabbed her arm and pulled a necklace off of her. And then I observed her having it in her hand. She seemed to be not very steady on her feet, her eyes were blurry and watery, and I could smell alcohol.”
Heard's traveling companion lifted her hands "in what appeared to be a defensive manner," according to Leonard. She also saw the travel companion had an injury "like a rope burn" on her neck, where the necklace chain had been removed.
Leonard said that when she interfered, Heard dismissed her.
Amber Heard was detained at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2009 for reportedly hitting Tasya van Ree, a woman she was seeing at the time. The allegations were ultimately withdrawn, and van Ree stated in 2016 that Heard had been "wrongfully charged."
Johnny Depp returned to stand amid his trial with Amber Heard
After several witnesses came to testify on each actor's behalf, Johnny Depp returned to the stand as a rebuttal witness. He described the experience of listening to Heard's testimony as "insane" and denied her allegations of abuse. He stated :
"It's insane to hear heinous accusations of violence, sexual violence, that she's attributed to me, that she's accused me of. I don't think anyone enjoys having to split themselves open and tell the truth, but there are times when one simply has to because it's gotten out of control. Horrible. Ridiculous. Humiliating. Ludicrous. Painful. Savage. Unimaginably brutal. Cruel. Um, and all false. All false."
Depp was also called to testify on comments made by his former lawyer, Adam Waldman. Amber Heard is suing Depp in response to three remarks Waldman made to the Daily Mail in 2020 accusing her of organizing a "hoax" assault.
The case revolves around an op-ed Heard published for the Washington Post in 2018, in which she refers to herself as a victim of domestic abuse. Although Depp is not named in the story, Heard previously raised abuse charges against Depp in 2016, which he insists are false and is mentioned in the essay.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation after she reportedly falsely accused him of domestic abuse, which he claims harmed his career. Heard is suing Depp for $100 million in retaliation for slander.
