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Johnny Depp's childhood friend Isaac Baruch appeared at the Fairfax County Court in Virginia as the second witness of the former’s ongoing defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.
During his testimony, Baruch opened up about his take on Depp and Heard’s relationship and claimed that the latter’s domestic violence allegations against Depp were untrue. Baruch even testified that he did not come across any signs or marks of abuse when he met Heard right after the alleged violent incident in 2016.
Johnny Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard after the latter claimed she was a domestic violence survivor in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Although the article did not name Depp, his lawyers claimed that the story was indicative and affected the Fantastic Beast star’s career.
Depp sued Heard for libel in a $50 million defamation lawsuit, but the latter countersued her ex-husband for $100 million, alleging that he hit her under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Depp’s lawyers have since denied the allegations.
A look into Isaac Baruch’s testimony in Johnny Depp x Amber Heard’s defamation hearing
On Wednesday, Isaac Baruch testified as the second witness in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation hearing. He recalled his meeting with Heard on May 22, 2016, the day of Depp’s alleged violent attack on his ex-wife.
Baruch said he met Heard in the aftermath of her argument with Depp and she claimed the actor hit her with a phone:
“[Amber Heard said] Johnny came by last night and he became violent. And she said, ‘Yeah. He threw a phone at me and hit me.’”
Baruch recalled that Heard showed him her face to identify the wound from the alleged attack:
“I am looking because I had just seen her two feet away and I am going, ‘Where?' And she puts her head out. She puts a face out like that for me to look at the right side of her face.”
However, Baruch alleged that he failed to see any bruises, swelling or cuts on Heard’s face:
“I’m looking at a cheek, I’m looking at her chin, I’m looking at the other side of the face. I’m looking at the whole thing. And I don’t see anything. I don’t see anything too. I don’t see a cut or bruise, swelling, redness. It’s just Amber’s face.”
Baruch also mentioned that he did not see Heard use any facial make-up to cover her bruises and that he made a joke about the situation while speaking to the actress:
“Well, I don’t see anything, but maybe all beauty from one side of your face to the other side of the face is outshining everything.”
He also said that he gave her a hug and kissed her on the side of the face before saying goodbye but failed to find any signs of a violent attack.
Baruch further alleged that he saw security footage of Heard’s sister Whitney throwing a “fake punch” towards the Aquaman star in June 2016 before breaking into laughter. The former also mentioned that he was shocked to see Heard’s allegations against Depp.
Isaac Baruch also spoke about the initial days of Depp and Heard’s relationship and said they “treated each other like gold” and shared a “loving” bond. He also mentioned that he loved Heard as much as Depp did:
"I fell in love with her just like Johnny did. She's totally respectful, gracious, she's got great teeth. She treated me with complete respect. Humor-wise total locker room humor, demented humor. Every time I walked into that place, 'Isaac you want something to eat, you want something to drink.'”
However, Baruch reportedly ended his friendship with Heard after she filed for divorce from Depp and accused him of domestic violence.
Baruch also noted that he had never witnessed Depp and Heard engaging in “physical violence” prior to their divorce, only seeing them having verbal arguments twice.
During the cross-examination, Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft asked Isaac Baruch if he was angry with the actress for her allegations against Depp. Baruch agreed, saying that he was frustrated with the “fake narrative”:
“Oh, about the phony pictures in the tabloids and about the fake narrative and the way she trying to get a fraudulent domestic violence claim to extort and blackmail a man? Yeah – that kinda got me frustrated, angry, confused, and upset.”
However, he also clarified that he is mostly “tired” from the entire ordeal and wants the former couple to move on and heal:
“Oh, you know something. It’s six years, it’s six years. Am I angry anymore? What I am is tired. I want this all to end. For her to go heal, him to go heal.”
Isaac Baruch also looked visibly emotional after saying Amber Heard’s “malicious lies” affected several lives:
“It’s so many people have been affected by this malicious lie that she started and she created, and it’s gone out the door and around the world, and so I can’t even paint anymore. I’ve stopped painting for the last how many years.”
He even said he was not angry at Heard and wants her to move forward despite Johnny Depp’s family being “wrecked” by the situation:
“I’m not angry at anybody. I want the best for her, for her to take her responsibility, heal and move on. Move on, and for Johnny… his family has been completely wrecked by all of this stuff and it’s not… it’s not fair… it’s not right.”
Isaac Baruch is also likely to appear in future hearings for the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation case.
Everything to know about Isaac Baruch
Isaac Baruch is Johnny Depp’s childhood friend, who lives in one of the five penthouse lofts at the actor’s Eastern Columbia Building in Downtown Los Angeles. According to reports, he met Depp during their teenage years and became lifelong friends.
Baruch is a professional artist and previously worked for Depp at the Viper Room nightclub. He was often seen socializing with Depp and Amber during their courtship and marriage.
As per Law & Crime, Baruch completed large-scale paintings at Depp’s Eastern Columbia Building and received $100,000 from the actor for his work.
Isaac Baruch was one of the key witnesses to Depp and Heard’s defamation hearing on April 13. When asked about Depp’s generosity on him over the years, Baruch told the court that he was a “nice friend.”
