The footage captured on May 22, 2016, just a day after a violent altercation that left their penthouse in shambles and Amber Heard with facial marks, has become a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal dispute between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
Actor James Franco made a late-night visit to Amber Heard's California apartment shortly after the actress claimed Johnny Depp had thrown a phone at her with extreme force, marking the culmination of a tumultuous marriage that was unraveling in May 2016. In the recent court proceedings, The Sun presented new evidence, including images of the actress's injuries and security camera footage depicting her interaction with Franco.
Heard, now 34 years old, described the alleged incident as Depp's "final act of violence." She asserted that it occurred after a night marred by substance abuse by the actor. Conversely, Depp vehemently denied physically assaulting her, contending that she had "faked" her injuries with the assistance of her friends Rocky Pennington and Joshua Drew, as part of an alleged plan to "extort" and "blackmail" him during their divorce.
The court presented closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from May 22, 2016, which captured the day following the alleged altercation. In the footage, Heard can be seen entering an elevator with a companion, concealing her face from the camera. During her testimony, Heard admitted that the man with her was indeed James Franco, with whom Depp claimed she was having an affair during their marriage.
Heard stated that Franco visited her apartment after 11 PM and that her facial bruise had been caused by Depp. When questioned by Eleanor Laws, Depp's attorney, about why she tried to hide her face from the camera, Heard responded, "We were talking. He (Franco) told me, 'Oh my God, what happened to you?' And then he added, 'When I let him in, he saw my face and said, 'What the hell.'"
However, Heard vehemently denied any romantic involvement with Elon Musk or any other individual while she was with Depp.
Depp's legal team presented text messages exchanged between Heard and Musk on the evening of May 21, 2016, shortly after a confrontation between her and Depp. In one message, Musk offered her his private security team, and in another, he expressed remorse for their disagreement, stating, "Sorry for being an idiot. The radio silence hurt a lot. It only matters because I like you a lot."
When asked about Alejandro Romero, a janitor at the Eastern Columbia building where she resided with Depp, who testified that Musk regularly visited her in Depp's absence, Heard stated, "I was mistaken. I didn't even contact Elon until 2016."
During her testimony on Monday, Heard disclosed that Depp was convinced she had been unfaithful with a string of Hollywood stars, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Eddie Redmayne, Kevin Costner, Liam Hemsworth, Billy-Bob Thornton, Channing Tatum, Jim Sturgess, and actress Kelli Garner. Depp would inquire about any romantic scenes and express discomfort if they involved intimacy. He would use derogatory nicknames for her male co-stars, deeming them a s---al threat.
Heard revealed that Depp exhibited jealousy, obsession, and control over her past relationships and choice of clothing, often criticizing her attire. She recalled, "Over time, I stopped wearing revealing dresses to red carpet events – it just wasn't worth the verbal and psychological abuse. He humiliated me every time I tried to wear something that might look s--y, calling me a 'slut' and 'fame-hungry.' Everything got worse over time."
Heard asserted that during their years together, Depp subjected her to around 14 incidents of physical and verbal abuse while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, including an alleged three-day ordeal in Australia where she claimed she was physically assaulted, strangled, and spat upon by Depp.
