Amber Heard has PTSD from partner violence, says doctor at Johnny Depp trial

Clinical and forensic psychologist says Depp suffered from 'obsessive control' and 'jealousy' issues

Amber Heard listens to clinical and forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes gives evidence in- her ex-husband's case against her. Reuters

Actress Amber Heard suffers from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of “intimate partner violence” from her former husband, Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, a psychologist said during the ongoing defamation trial on Tuesday.

Dawn Hughes, a clinical and forensic psychologist, also said that Depp suffered from “obsessive control” and “obsessive jealousy” issues during their “highly volatile” relationship.

Ms Hughes was the first witness to take the stand after Depp's lawyers rested their case in the defamation suit he filed against Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018, in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse".

Heard never named the 58-year-old Depp in the Post op-ed, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages.

The Texas-born Heard countersued, demanding $100m and claiming she suffered “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.

Depp has denied ever being physically abusive towards Heard and has claimed at the blockbuster defamation trial taking place in Virginia that she was the one who was frequently violent.

Ms Hughes said she had diagnosed Heard with PTSD after conducting four separate tests.

“Those tests allow me to make a definitive diagnosis that she suffers from PTSD,” she said.

“There's significant support for the fact that there was intimate partner violence in this relationship,” Ms Hughes told the seven-person jury hearing the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

Her findings contradicted those of a doctor who appeared as a witness for Depp, Shannon Curry, who said the actress did not have PTSD.

Ms Curry, also a clinical and forensic psychologist, said it was her opinion that the 36-year-old actress, who had a starring role in the movie Aquaman, has borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.

Ms Hughes said Heard did not suffer from those disorders.

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  Judge Penney Azcarate speaks during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia. EPA

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  Actor Johnny Depp looks on in the courtroom. AP

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  Amber Heard enters the courtroom. AP

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  Johnny Depp arrives in the courtroom. AP

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  Actor Johnny Depp arrives for the 13th day of the trial. AP

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  Judge Penney Azcarate speaks during the hearing. AP

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  Actress Amber Heard looks on during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse. AFP

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  Amber Heard listens in the courtroom. AP

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  Johnny Depp's pile of sweets in the courtroom. AFP

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  Michael Spindler, a forensic accountant, gives evidence. AP

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  Michael Spindler is sworn in before giving evidence. AP

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  A monitor displays the reported earnings by year of Johnny Depp. Reuters

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  A monitor displays the reported monetary damages to Johnny Depp caused by lost bookings. Reuters

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  Michael Spindler tells the court that Johnny Depp lost the bulk of his income after his ex-wife's op-ed appeared in 'The Washington Post'. AFP

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  Johnny Depp speaks to his lawyer, Ben Chew, during the trial. AP

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  Amber Heard speaks with her lawyer. AP

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  Amber Heard speaks with her lawyers at the defence table. AP

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  Amber Heard listens as Erin Falati, a former nurse, speaks via video conference. AP

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  Erin Falati speaks via video conference in the courtroom. EPA

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  Erin Falati presents evidence to the courtroom via videolink. EPA

She said Heard had reported a number of “physically violent behaviours” by Depp and a “number of incidents of sexual violence".

“He pushed her, he shoved her, he slapped her with the front of his hand and the back of his hand,” she said. “He choked her, he slammed her into the wall, he pushed her and she fell down. He kicked her in the back.”

Ms Hughes is to be cross-examined by Depp's lawyers on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the judge hearing the defamation suit rejected a request by Heard's lawyers to toss the case.

They claimed Depp had failed to prove he was defamed by the op-ed.

“The court should grant the motion to strike because the undisputed evidence is that he did, in fact, abuse Amber,” said Heard's lawyer Ben Rottenborn.

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  A scene from 'The Rum Diary', the film where Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met in 2011. Photo: FilmDistrict

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  A scene from 'The Rum Diary', the film set where Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met in 2011. Photo: FilmDistrict

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  A scene from 'The Rum Diary', the film set where Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met in 2011. Photo: FilmDistrict

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  Aaron Eckhart and Amber Heard star in 'The Rum Diary', an adaptation of the book by Hunter S Thompson.

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  Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary.

Such a motion to dismiss is common in legal proceedings but is rarely granted.

Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Heard met in 2009 on the set of the film The Rum Diary and were married in February 2015. Their divorce was finalised two years later.

Heard is expected to take the stand herself this week.