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On May 5, Johnny Depp and Kate Moss’ past relationship was mentioned in court during Amber Heard’s testimony at the ongoing defamation trial.
The latter testified that one of her fights with Depp reminded her of the rumored staircase incident where Depp allegedly pushed Moss down the stairs during their relationship. Heard previously cited a similar incident during Depp’s 2020 UK libel trial against The Sun.
However, no actual evidence related to the alleged claim ever came to light and Moss never accused Depp of any such action. When Heard recently spoke about the alleged staircase incident in her testimony, Depp’s lawyer Ben Chew was seen punching the air in celebration.
As Chew’s video went viral online, netizens believed that Heard’s statement about Moss will likely work against her during the upcoming cross-examination. Fans were also left convinced that Moss might be called to testify in the upcoming trial to denounce Heard’s claims about the alleged staircase incident.
A look into the possibility of Kate Moss’ appearance on Depp vs. Heard defamation trial
Amber Heard took the stand to testify against Johnny Depp in their ongoing defamation trial last week. During her testimony, the actress shared an instance of a 2015 fight with Depp involving her sister Whitney.
Heard claimed that Depp had followed her up a staircase and grabbed her after she threw a can of Red Bull at the Pirates of the Caribbean star. She said that the incident had prompted her sister Whitney to intervene in the fight, which resulted in Depp “swinging” at her.
The actress then revealed the how the moment had compelled her to think about Johnny Depp and Kate Moss’ alleged staircase incident:
"She [Whitney] threw herself in the line of fire. She was trying to get Johnny to stop. Her back was to the staircase, and Johnny swings at her... I don’t hesitate and wait, I instantly think of Kate Moss and stairs."
Heard first mentioned the alleged staircase incident during Johnny Depp’s libel trial against The Sun in 2020. At the time, she had claimed that Depp pushed Moss down the stairs during a fight while they were dating:
"He pushed Kate Moss down the stairs, I heard this from two people, and this was fresh in my mind."
Depp’s attorney Eleanor Laws had countered Heard's statement during the UK trial and alleged that she had “made it up” while testifying and did not mention anything about the incident in any legal document.
Following Heard’s latest testimony about the staircase incident, Depp’s lawyer Ben Chew was seen punching the air in excitement. An inside source told The New York Post that the move was a “celebratory acknowledgment” that could mean Depp’s team had possible evidence to refute the claim,
“Amber mentioned an ex of Johnny’s that clearly she felt was not supportive of him, which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
California entertainment lawyer Mitra Ahouraian told the publication that Heard’s testimony about the alleged staircase incident could open the door for Depp’s team to bring in Moss as a witness in the trial to speak against Heard’s statement.
“[Moss] is still allegedly friends with Johnny and her testimony wasn’t allowed to come in before because it wasn’t as relevant. That’s one mistake that [Heard] made, was bringing up Kate Moss, which potentially opened the door to [Depp’s team] bringing [Moss] on as an impeachment witness and Moss “saying ‘this never happened.'”
Former California judge and current criminal defense attorney Halim Dhanidina shared a similar opinion, and said Depp’s team could use Moss’ past relationship with Depp to their advantage.
“You brought up Kate Moss and she wasn’t going to be part of this trial but now she is. Johnny Depp’s team is going to argue that they should be permitted to call her to debunk any rumor about Johnny Depp pushing [Moss] down stairs.”
Dhanidina also noted that Judge Penney Azcarate might have a “lot of discretion” to decide if Moss should be allowed to testify in the defamation trial.
Journalist Shannon Hill also posted a viral TikTok video speculating that Moss could be asked to testify in the trial. She said that Heard’s mention of the staircase incident was “inadmissible evidence” and Moss could now be called on the stand to testify as a “rebuttal witness”:
"This Kate Moss push down the stairs is not first hand evidence, Amber wasn't there. I think Johnny's team will bring Kate Moss in during the rebuttal."
As speculation continues to make the rounds, it remains to be seen if Kate Moss will testify in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial. However, it is likely that Heard’s statement about Moss and the staircase incident will be mentioned during her cross-examination after the trial resumes on May 16.
