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Both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have taken the stand for their testimonies in the former's defamation trial against his ex-wife. Following an explosive day in court on Thursday (May 5) where Heard made shocking claims against the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, both have released statements on the proceedings.
Following Heard's testimony, a spokesperson for Depp issued a statement to People.
"As Mr. Depp's counsel correctly predicted in their opening statements last month, Ms. Heard did indeed deliver 'the performance of her life' in her direct examination," the statement reads. "While Ms. Heard's stories have continued to grow new and convenient details, Mr. Depp's recollections have remained exactly the same throughout the six painful years since her first allegations were made."
"His truth — the truth — is the same no matter the environment in which it has been presented," the statement concluded. "The upcoming cross examination from Mr. Depp's team will be most telling and will certainly highlight the many fallacies Ms. Heard has now attempted to pass off as fact throughout her convoluted testimony."
In response, a spokesperson for Aquaman star also released their own lengthy statement to the outlet that accused Depp's legal team of persecution.
"As evidenced by the statement just released, Mr. Depp's defamation claim is falling apart so rapidly that his counsel are turning from prosecutor to persecutor," the statement reads. "They boast that Mr. Depp's story has not changed. If so, since he lost the Domestic Violence Restraining Order and he resoundingly lost the libel case in the UK, perhaps he should consider a new strategy rather than the recycled approach of attacking the victim, and refusing to take responsibility for his own conduct."
The statement continued, "If Mr. Depp was truly innocent, why has he repeatedly apologized to Ms. Heard and promised to put the 'monster away for good,'" adding that the Fantastic Beasts actor cannot "distinguish fact from fiction – a malady which appears to have spread to his legal team."
The spokesperson then claimed Depp's team is "fighting tooth and nail" to prevent photos and other evidence from being presented to the court, while slamming the actor for "not [having] the fortitude or courage to even look at Ms. Heard," instead "he doodles and snickers."
"Mr. Depp's behavior in this trial has been as pitiful as it was in their marriage," the spokesperson concludes. "Apparently, they feel they must double-down on their demonstrably losing two-part strategy: distract the jury and demonize the victim."
According to CNN, Depp is suing Heard for the 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post where she opened up about her experience with domestic abuse. While Depp wasn't named in the article, he claims the piece negatively impacted his career, including losing out on the Pirates franchise.
Throughout the trial, the court has heard claims from a security guard that Heard punched Depp in the face while a psychologist alleged the actress was a victim of sexual violence at the hands of her ex-husband.