Johnny Depp and his legal team believe newly surfaced recordings prove Depp's ex-wife, Amber Heard, instigated the violence in their relationship.
In the audio obtained by USA Today, Depp and Heard discuss having an argument that turned physical. On the recording, Heard details how she started assaulting Depp.
"I did start a physical fight," Heard said, according to the transcript. Depp went onto claim that she was punching him to which Heard replied: "Babe, you're not punched ... I don't know what the motion of my actual hand was, but you're fine. I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you."
According to Depp's lawyer, Adam Waldman, the recording took place in 2015. Heard and Depp got divorced the following year. In the audio, Depp is heard alluding to their eventual divorce if Heard continues to be violent towards him.
"I do not want to leave you. I do not want a divorce, I do not want you out of my life. I just want peace. If things get physical, we have to separate," Depp said.
Heard replied by claiming that she can't promise to be "perfect," stating: " I can't promise you I won't get physical again."
"God, I (expletive) sometimes get so mad I lose it," she continued. "I can (expletive) promise you I can do everything to change."
Waldman told USA Today that Heard was the one who recorded this conversation. This is one of the many tapes she's presented as evidence of Depp's abuse but it only proved that she was the violent partner.
"The first confessional tape she made reveals a conversation any real abuse victim will recognize all too well," Waldman said. "It exposes that Ms. Heard perpetrated serial violence against Mr. Depp, and then concocted an elaborate abuse hoax to cover it up. Ms. Heard gives a motive for her violence: Mr. Depp was always trying to 'split' to escape her abuse."
Heard's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, responded to the tapes by issuing a statement to USA Today. In her response, Kaplan doesn't deny her client's abuse but she does claim that Heard was also a victim of domestic violence.
"The fact that a woman fights or talks back does not mean that she has not been the subject of repeated domestic violence and abuse," Kaplan said. "It’s a myth to say, as Mr. Depp apparently is implying, that if Ms. Heard slapped him, then she can’t also be a victim. That is just not true."
In March 2019, Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard, claiming that her abuse allegations were false. Depp and his lawyers say these accusations have cost the actor money and career opportunities. Heard's allegations first came to light when she obtained a restraining order in 2016 shortly after their divorce due to the alleged domestic abuse.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence get help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visiting the website.
