Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Trial Includes Christian Carino, ex-Lady GAGA Fiasco on Elon Musk, and Others

Over the past three weeks, 12 juries, an audience gallery and a slew of online followers have watched virtually every moment of the $50 million defamation story between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in Virginia.

Nothing about testing—Keys to domestic violence allegations — have become the norm. Depp accused for four days of his lavish lifestyle, drug use, painting himself as a victim although a British judge concluded there was “overwhelming evidence” he had abused Amber Heard and made her fear for her life. He has also repeatedly indulged in monstrous acts in court, from coloring in impressionist artworks to chewing gummy bears to giggling. And Depp fanatics have used TikTok and Twitter to create harsh memes about Heard in response to the painful testimony.

But if more people keep an eye on Depp and Heard, the supporting characters in the circus of a trial have threatened to steal the show for themselves.

From a building manager vaping and driving during the filming of his video to a tempered expert on cupcakes, witnesses presented by the actor’s legal team helped turn the case into a series of events. absurd TV series. Depp’s legal team did not respond to comment for this story.

Jurors must determine if Heard acted with “genuine malice” as she wrote a 2018 Washington Post op-ed — meaning the actress knew what she wrote was wrong — or she published the work with “a reckless disregard” for the truth. In the work, which did not name Depp, Heard identified himself as a survivor of domestic violence two years earlier. In May 2016, Heard filed for divorce and was granted a temporary restraining order against Depp after she went to court with a bruised face. In her application, Heard alleges that Depp threw the phone at her, which he denies.

The crux of Depp’s argument is that he never abused Heard, but she did see him as an abuser, undermining his career. The problems are bleak, and the bar to prove his case is very high – the stakes run into the tens of millions of dollars.

Some of Depp’s witnesses were eventually able to demonstrate the task in front of them: recounting him as a victim. But just as Depp’s outlandish antics can ultimately backfire, his encounter with colorful witnesses could leave jurors scratching their heads.

Alejandro Romero

As the doorman for the Los Angeles apartment building that Depp and Heard once lived in, Romero made it clear from the moment the recorded deposition began that he had better things to do.

In a video taped January 2021 played in court on Wednesday, Romero can be seen inside a car as he talks about his limited interactions with the celebrity couple.

“I know you guys have sent me articles for review, and I honestly don’t want to review them because it’s been so long,” Romero said at the start of his removal.

Romero went on to say that he was “too stressed” over the incident and didn’t “want to deal with this anymore.”

Earning laughter from the courtroom — and Depp himself — with his recorded testimony, Romero was at times driving around and vaping while insisting to both celebrities’ attorneys that he had never saw any signs of abuse, nor was there any sign of injury on Heard’s face.

But the way in which the testimony was provided was so unusual that even Judge Penney Azcarate quipped after the video ended, “It was a first.”

“I’ve seen a lot of things, but I’ve never seen that before,” the judge added, prompting one of Heard’s lawyers to agree “it’s the strangest deposition.”

Christopher Melcher, the prominent divorce attorney who represented Kayne West in his divorce proceedings from Kim Kardashian, said Romero’s testimony provided a “human moment” in a case that had out in this world”.

Melcher told The Daily Beast: “The trial was a theater, and it was very scripted for the jury and the judge. “The jurors in this case probably felt as if they couldn’t relate to some of the issues in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s lives — but I bet they were related to the front desk manager. Tan, who probably won’t take a day off from working on this video. ”

“This is a guy at work who doesn’t want to be involved in this case and he has been honest about it,” added the lawyer, who has no connection to the parties in the case.

Christian Carino

An agent at the CAA and ex-fiancé of Lady Gaga, Christian Carino provided jurors with a unique insight into Depp and Heard’s personal and professional lives – including how the actress was related to billionaire Elon Musk after she and Heard. Depp broke up.

In two recorded pieces, the former agent for both Depp and Heard said he had never heard of either celebrity accusing the other of abuse. But he says he recommends the couple seek a marriage counselor to “reconcile the difficulties they are having” in their tumultuous and short life. After they broke up, Carino added, he talked to Heard about the Tesla boss, texting her saying, “You don’t love him and you’ve told me a thousand times you’re just filling up blank”.

Carino also appeared notable to bolster Depp’s claim that his reputation had been damaged as a result of Heard’s allegations, alluding to the actor’s loss of the role in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 shortly after the 2018 op-ed (Carino claims to have had a conversation with a Disney executive about the subject.) The rep said that while meeting Heard through Depp and being a witness for Depp, he is no longer friends with either celebrity.

“My opinion is that Amber’s accusations will have the biggest impact on his off-screen fame. I’m not talking about any specific accusations,” Carino said.

But the deposition of the pre-recorded video was at least partially overshadowed by Carino’s decision to sit in a fully reflective room and sip a variety of drinks throughout the recording. . At one point, he appeared to be drinking a beer or kombucha – and was seen with his face in his hands. In the second deposition, Carino appears in front of a large print of a cartoon woman, leaning toward the camera with an annoyed look.

Melcher notes that unlike Romero, whose behavior during deposition can be endearing, Carino’s behavior can be seen as conceited.

“He’s in this strange situation and he’s obviously very upset and doesn’t want to be there. He drank a lot of drinks,” the lawyer said. “He’s very dismissive.”

Gina . router

The wife of Depp’s personal assistant Deuters was seen as a key witness for the actor – until she was kicked out of court on April 14, shortly after she took a stand.

When she began discussing her friendship with Depp, including that she had never seen the actor act violently after using drugs or drinking alcohol, Deuters was quickly stopped when The actress’ legal team requested a sidebar.

“Did you watch the trial last week?” Judge Azcarate asked Deuters after meeting with both counsels.

“I saw clips of it online, yes,” she replied.

Admission granted Deuters immunity from trial and her testimony dropped from the record, as witnesses are generally not authorized to mediate coverage of the proceedings. But jurors weren’t in the room at the crucial moment that saw her ejected, and so it’s unknown why Deuters was suddenly removed from the witness stand.

Melcher hints that they won’t be able to forget the quick exit.

While Melcher believes the judge “acted too quickly” in dismissing the Router without asking her for details about what she saw in the trial, it was certainly “an element of ignorance.” opaque to the jury.”

“You cannot erase something from your memory. It happened very quickly, so the jurors didn’t know why she was pushed out, which could cause some mystery or suspicion,” Melcher added.

Dr. Shannon Curry

A forensic and clinical psychologist testifying on behalf of Johnny Depp, Curry caused shockwaves when she told jurors on Tuesday she believes Amber Heard has borderline personality disorder. .

But Dr Shannon Curry, who has worked in the field for about 15 years and focuses on couples therapy – and has never been a Heard doctor – blasted the internet when she criticized the actress’s attorney for asking her about the cupcakes.

“Can I clarify what happened so we can stop talking about the muffins?” Curry said while cross-checking.

An explosive incident occurred when Heard’s attorney was talking to the doctor about whether she had told her husband she was having a psychological evaluation of Heard as part of her job as an employee. certification for Depp last December or not.

Attorney Eliane Bredehoft began suggesting Curry was “excited” to be involved in the case – to the point where she told her husband she would evaluate Heard even though the case was said to be “very secret”.

Curry dismissed Bredehoft for being “inaccurate” with the allegation.

Enter muffins.

“You said you brought muffins from your husband, and you gave them to Miss Heard, correct?” the actress’s lawyer asked.

The question prompted Curry to insist they stop talking about the food before starting to explain how her husband knew only she was working with a celebrity client – not any customers.

The psychologist added that because she was late in that case, she asked her husband to “go to the local bakery and get me a muffin… he often has to because I come home often.” late”.

“I think I commented to her along the lines of “My husband got these for us today,” which means he bought the muffins we were enjoying because him,” Curry added when she met Heard.

“Why did your husband get a muffin for Amber Heard?” Bredehoft then questioned Curry, causing her to chuckle and insist he didn’t (intentionally) get them specifically for the actress.

The strange exchange invites comparisons with the “Muffin Man” scene from Shrek. In a viral TikTok From an apparent Depp fan, a clip of Curry is interspersed with the audio of the movie showing her. Another TikTok with more than 90,000 views called the incident “Muffingate”.

Melcher, the celebrity’s attorney, argues that while Curry’s frustration may have sparked the allegations, it doesn’t discredit her testimony – even if it represents The latest circus-like element in a domestic violence trial.

“I think her testimony was the overall textbook adjudication act, not the muffin moment,” he said. “That’s funny.”