Johnny Depp’s health staff recalls hunt for his severed fingertip

An injury Johnny Depp suffered in March 2015, while on the sets of the fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, was recounted in the current court trial between him and his ex-wife, Amber Heard. As the case got pretty ugly and involved accounts of abuse during their marriage, Depp accused Heard of throwing a bottle at him, severing the top of his middle finger. A doctor and a nurse recounted and gave their testimony regarding a ‘bloody’ hunt for Depp’s severed fingertip.

However, Heard has said that he likely cut his finger when he smashed a telephone and her attorneys have pointed to text messages in which Depp admitted to cutting the finger himself. According to Heard, during the aforementioned fight, Depp “beat her, choked her, and sexually assaulted her,” reported Variety. She has also claimed that the assault left cuts on her arms and legs.

David Kipper, a concierge doctor, testified that he was called to the residence and cleaned Depp’s wound before taking him to the emergency room. He also said that he directed the staff to search the house for the missing fingertip. Kipper, testifying via video deposition, said that Depp’s chef found it.

Kipper added that there was blood and broken glass in the house. “He [the chef] said he found it in the kitchen area,” he added. Furthermore, Kipper testified that Heard was there and she seemed upset. However, the concierge doctor did not recollect any memories of an injury on Heard, and neither did she seek any medical attention at the time.

Debbie Lloyd, a nurse who worked with Kipper, also came forward with her testimony. She said that a house manager found the finger and brought it to the emergency room. Depp later had reconstructive surgery to repair the finger.

Initially, Kipper and Lloyd were hired to help Depp deal with his recurrent drug abuse problems. However, since he wasn’t following the drug and alcohol protocols, Kipper mentioned in his testimony on Thursday that he considered withdrawing his care for Depp after the incident and even discussed the idea with Depp and Heard.

A text message conversation between Lloyd and Depp said that he had “never heard of anyone being fired by their physician before,” and added that he was “kinda proud of that little fact, too.” However, Depp later reconnected with the doctor and promised he would comply with the treatment.

Apart from the severed finger hunt, Kipper and Lloyd also testified about an August 2014 episode, in which they traveled to Depp’s private island in the Bahamas to assist with a detox. The doctor and nurse stayed in yurts on the island. Earlier, a couple’s therapist who worked with Depp and 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.

The latter has accused his former spouse of defaming him in a 2018 Washington Post column, in which she wrote about the backlash she received after claiming she was physically abused. Heard has countersued for $100 million, alleging that Depp’s attorney defamed her by accusing her of fabricating the abuse claims.

The trial is being held in a courtroom in Fairfax, Va. Depp is expected to take the stand on Tuesday, with cross-examination coming on Wednesday, according to a source close to him. 

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