Amber Heard’s former best friend, Raquel Pennington, testified Wednesday that Johnny Depp “could be very unpredictable.”
Pennington, who was a neighbor at the Los Angeles penthouse where the couple lived, broke down during her videotaped deposition, saying she grew concerned about Heard’s safety when “the physical abuse was more evident.”
“I was worried that when he turned, he might accidentally do something that was worse than he ever intended,” Pennington said in the video recorded on Jan. 21, 2022.
Pennington tearfully testified that Heard would often cover bruises and injuries with makeup. The night before Heard’s appearance on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” she said the couple fought. “She was very upset. Her face was red, swollen, the hair had been ripped out of her head.” Pennington said she couldn’t sleep because she was “watching” Heard, afraid she was concussed.
Heard wiped away tears while listening to Pennington’s testimony.
Pennington recalled an incident from May 21, 2016, when Depp visited Heard at their penthouse, after a month apart. Pennington said the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor was “irate.” Pennington said she thought Depp was going to hurt Heard.
She testified, Heard asked her to come over and when she arrived Heard was yelling for “help.” Pennington said she tried to calm Depp by putting her hands on his chest and yelling stop. “He hit my hands away so I went straight over to Amber.” Pennington said wrapped herself around Heard who was on the couch crying. Pennington said she was prepared to defend herself and Heard, “I was thinking if he gets any closer I’m just going to pick up that ashtray and hit him with it because he was so close over us.”
This was Pennington’s second day of testimony. On Tuesday she said she hadn’t spoken to Heard in more than a year because the two grew apart.
Also Wednesday, Pennington’s ex-husband Josh Drew testified via videotaped deposition telling lawyers he never saw Depp hit Heard or any other woman. However, he did witness the aftermath of “trashed” penthouses following fights between the couple, Drew said in the video recorded on November 19, 2019.
Drew also lived in the L.A. Penthouse during Depp and Heard’s relationship. Drew said Heard reached out to him two months before his deposition to make amends. He said Heard tried to keep him out of the trial but said he would be contacted by attorneys.
According to Drew, the couple’s dogs were untrained and if no one was home to take them out they’d pee and poop on everything, “Couches, sofas, chairs, the bed, you name it.”
Drew said on May 21, 2016, he heard a wine bottle smash into the door and Depp yell “open this f*g door. Get me in here.” He said Depp “beelined for me screaming, cursing, spitting in my face.” Drew said he got away from Depp and locked the door. He noticed Heard was “catatonic she was just like, thousand yard stare, just like done.”
Drew said he was asked to meet officers when they arrived after the altercation because Heard didn’t want to file a report. “I said that I would speak to them to see if they, if I could get them to go away.” Drew said he showed officers the damage to the penthouse. Then he asked the officer “what if anything could be done because we were obviously upset?” He said the officer responded, “there’s damage in these apartments, her face is red, if she wants to file a report we have enough here to go pick him up.”
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million claiming she libeled him in the 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post. Heard filed a $100 million counterclaim for defamation for Depp’s attorney calling her a “liar.”