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Rocky Pennington mentioned she witnessed a combat between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp in Could 2016.
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Pennington testified she was known as to the couple’s condominium, the place she noticed Depp yelling at Heard.
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Heard’s pal mentioned she shielded her and watched Depp destroy property as he left the condominium.
One in all Amber Heard’s associates testified about coming to the actress’ protection and shielding her together with her physique when Heard was concerned in a heated combat with Johnny Depp in Could 2016.
A video deposition from Raquel “Rocky” Pennington was performed for the jury within the Depp v. Heard defamation trial on Wednesday. In it, Pennington described witnessing a part of the couple’s final combat on Could 21, 2016, which led to Heard submitting for divorce and getting a restraining order in opposition to Depp.
The couple had been dwelling aside for a few month on the time, and Pennington mentioned she heard from Heard that Depp can be stopping by that day to speak or decide up a number of of his issues. Pennington lived in one of many 5 penthouses that Depp owned in a Los Angeles condominium constructing, and Heard was dwelling in one of many different residences on the identical ground whereas the couple was separated.
Pennington mentioned she acquired a textual content message from Heard, asking for her to return over to her condominium.
When Pennington arrived, she mentioned the door was locked so she fetched a grasp key. When she obtained in, she mentioned she heard an “irate” Depp yelling and Heard “calling for assist.”
Pennington mentioned Heard was saying “assist me,” which “had by no means occurred earlier than.”
Pennington mentioned she went as much as Depp and put her arms on his chest, telling him to “cease” and “simply making an attempt to calm him down.”
She mentioned Depp hit her arms away, so she went over to Heard to protect her from him as a result of she was afraid he would harm her.
“I put my physique over her,” Pennington mentioned.
All of the whereas, Pennington mentioned, Depp saved screaming at Heard, who was crying.
“I do not keep in mind all the pieces that he mentioned however the factor that stands proud essentially the most was simply yelling at her to ‘stand up,’ to ‘get the fuck up,'” Pennington mentioned.
As Depp obtained nearer and nearer to them, Pennington, a blended martial arts fighter, mentioned she began considering of what she must do if pressured to defend herself and Heard.
“I keep in mind there was this huge orange ceramic ashtray on the espresso desk. I used to be considering if he will get any nearer, I am simply going to choose up that ashtray and hit him with it,” Pennington mentioned.
Ultimately, she mentioned two of Depp’s safety guards entered the condominium, and began encouraging him to depart.
‘I used to be frightened when he turned, he would do one thing worse’
Depp has taken Heard to trial, alleging she ruined his status and profession by insinuating in a 2018 Washington Publish op-ed that she had been the sufferer of home violence. Heard is preventing the lawsuit, and spent a number of days on the stand describing a number of incidents earlier than and through her marriage to Depp the place she mentioned the actor bodily and sexually assaulted her.
As Depp left the condominium following Pennington’s interference, she mentioned he smashed objects off the kitchen island and a bar cart, wielding a wine bottle.
Pennington mentioned she heard banging sounds from the hallway and later noticed different harm she believed Depp prompted, together with wine splashed within the hallway, a dent within the entrance door of certainly one of his different penthouses, jewellery she had been getting ready for a craft honest thrown to the bottom, smashed picture frames, and damaged consuming glasses.
One in all Depp’s legal professionals has beforehand accused Heard and Pennington of staging a combat on the condominium on Could 21, 2016, to make it seem like Depp had destroyed property, which Pennington denied. Joshua Drew, Pennington’s fiancé on the time, testified in a deposition proven after Pennington’s that he had proven cops the harm, together with a dent within the door “formed like the underside of a wine bottle.”
Pennington mentioned she by no means noticed Depp bodily abuse Heard, however noticed Heard injured on a number of events after fights with Depp.
Earlier in her testimony, she mentioned she was “scared for Amber” as a result of Depp would generally flip into “the monster,” a time period he and different members of his social circle used to explain his violent facet. Heard, Pennington mentioned, “did not have numerous self-preservation.”
“When the bodily abuse was extra evident, I used to be frightened,” Pennington mentioned. “I used to be frightened for her bodily security. I used to be frightened when he turned, he would do one thing worse than was ever supposed.”
Pennington took photographs of the accidents on Heard’s face that night time, she mentioned. On Could 23, two days after the combat, Heard filed for divorce.
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