Couple’s therapist claims Johnny Depp, Amber Heard engaged in ‘mutual abuse’

Claimed either of the two could initiate fights, had ‘terrible’ communication skills

A couple’s therapist who worked with actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in 2015 had his testimony played in court on the third day of the defamation trial. Laurel Avis Anderson stated that the couple engaged in “mutual abuse”, with Heard’s actions “triggering” Depp, according to Variety. 

The therapist also claimed that the couple has “terrible” communication skills and that during her sessions with them from October to December 2015, both displayed a stormy disposition. She went on to state that either one of the two could initiate fights, and that Depp had not been violent with previous partners prior to his marriage with Heard, adding that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor denied being violent.

“I thought he had been well controlled,” Anderson said. “With Ms Heard, he was triggered. They engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse.” She added, “She initiated fights. She started violence. She rose to the challenge if he started first. In my opinion that had been established throughout the relationship — that she fought as hard as he did. And he tried to deescalate far more than I think she did.”  

Lawyers for Depp on Tuesday gave a jury an overview of his US defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, the latest chapter in a long-running legal fight between the two Hollywood stars.

Opening statements kicked off in a Virginia courtroom in a lawsuit Depp, 58, brought against Heard, 35, for $50 million in 2018.

Depp alleges Heard defamed him when she penned a December 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse.

The article never mentioned Depp by name, but Depp's lawyer Benjamin Chew told jurors on Tuesday that it was clear Heard was referencing the Hollywood leading man.

Chew told jurors Heard published the piece on the eve of the release of Aquaman, her biggest film yet, to drum up publicity and advance her career.

"By choosing to lie about her husband for her own personal benefit, Amber Heard forever changed Mr Depp's life and his reputation," Chew said. "You will hear him tell you the dreadful impact it has had on his life."