Johnny Depp Suffers Major Setback in Amber Heard Defamation Trial

Johnny Depp's defamation case against Amber Heard continues, with the actor's trial stalled after a crucial witness was dismissed. According to Insider, Depp's legal team called Georgina Deuters to the stand for the third day of testimony in the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial at Fairfax County Court in Virginia. She is the wife of Stephen Deuters, a member of Depp's staff and a regular working partner of his. 

After Deuters related past events, Heard's lawyers met with the court's judge, Penney Azcarate. Following the jury's dismissal, Azcarate asked her whether she had seen any of the proceedings before giving her testimony. Deuters said she'd seen some "clips online." Azcarate then said she could leave the courtroom and that "the court is striking the testimony of Georgina' Gina' Deuters from the record in its entirety."

In 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in which she discussed being a victim of domestic violence. Despite the actress not mentioning his name, Depp believed the piece was about their marriage. As a result, he filed a $50 defamation lawsuit in early 2019, alleging that Disney dropped him from the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series due to Heard's comments. 

Georgina Deuters discussed how she and her husband met Depp and their relationship with the star on the witness stand. They first met Depp in 2004 while working on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Afterward, her husband's work with Depp exclusively shifted from assistant to writer and producer, and Depp still employs him.

Deuters said after meeting Heard, whom she called "very charming," the actress later confided in her about her relationship troubles. "I remember going for a coffee, and she seemed frustrated. I don't think Johnny was ready to go public with their relationship yet, and I think that was frustrating for her," she explained. 

She also recalled an incident during the Lone Ranger press tour, during which Deuters said Heard noticed Depp secretly taking sips of champagne and telling him off like "a child." According to her response to Depp's lawsuit, Heard said that Depp would become a "monster" in her presence when drunk or under the influence of drugs. Deuters' and Christi Dembrowski's testimonies refuted the possibility that Depp had a substance abuse problem. 

In the nearly two decades she has known Depp, Deuters says she witnessed him drinking and doing drugs – specifically marijuana and cocaine. She assessed that Depp "holds his liquor well" and that he's never intoxicated. The witness also said she never noticed any change in his personality when taking cocaine and that she saw him take approximately 20 times during "celebratory" events. 

Attorneys for Depp then played a deposition video taken from David Kipper, who treated him for drug addiction. After an operation, Depp became addicted to opioids and sought his help to stop using them. According to Kipper, Heard administered drugs occasionally to Depp to help detoxify him.