As the bitter defamation trial has dragged on, we’ve heard from Johnny Depp‘s bodyguards and personal doctor and nurse. But on Tuesday we finally got testimony from one of Amber Heard‘s employees.
Erin Falati (aka Erin Boerum) was Amber’s personal nurse from August 2014 throughout her entire marriage. The medical professional shared notes she took while treating Amber — and the picture painted by the contemporaneous observations is one of a young woman taking illicit drugs and experiencing wild mood swings — while directing a great deal of insecurity at her husband.
It’s a recipe for a toxic relationship. But as you’ll see, it’s not exactly one-sided…
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Drugs, Wine, & Bipolar
In her first notes upon meeting Amber, Falati could just jot down what her new client told her. That included that she “reports history of substance abuse including an addiction to cocaine and liquor” and that she “does not smoke but reports she drinks ‘1-3 glasses of red wine a day'”. She also noted:
- “familial history of substance abuse, both mother and father have abused and become dependent on stimulants”
- “a history of anxiety, eating disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, bipolar disorder, codependence issues and occasional insomnia”
She noted that Amber had been “experiencing increased agitation recently and has had several outbursts of anger and rage” and that “her mood has been labile.”
Falati was then asked to explain what “labile” means to the court. She said:
“Emotional lability is when emotions spin on a pendulum, you see someone sad and quickly transition to extreme happiness, it’s like a pendulum.”
That is indeed, Falati testified, what she noticed while treating Amber — that her mood would swing wildly between extremes. She noted paying close attention, in particular, to her outbursts of anger throughout their time together. In one incident in a restaurant just a month into treatment, she noted that Amber became “frustrated” with the wait staff but stayed calm — which was a positive change from previous coping mechanism of “anger and yelling.”
Insecurity & Jealousy
While she was just supposed to be a nurse, there was so much toxicity in the relationship, her notes sometimes read like those of a marriage counselor. She wrote at the time:
“Client expressed concern to husband and Dr Kipper (Depp’s personal doctor) she is nervous about being alone while husband is working (on movie set in London) and expressed she has difficulty dealing with feelings of insecurity and jealousy when not in presence of her husband.”
That doesn’t sound too healthy, especially for a couple who are going to be apart A LOT for work. Amber also voiced, Falati wrote, some “confusion” because she believed Johnny wanted her to “eliminate acting career” and become a stay-at-home wife.
Related: Bodyguard Says He SAW Amber Heard Punch Johnny Depp!
As for whether Johnny actually wanted that? Falati clarified:
“I don’t recall that being a sentiment.”
So it was in Amber’s head? Maybe so. The next month Amber reported to her continued “difficulty with jealousy issues and anxiety around fiance’s fame and ability to interact with females often.”
Hmm. So she was jealous as in worried that Johnny would cheat? Or jealous of Johnny’s fame being greater than hers?? That part isn’t too clear.
In March 2015, Falati made the note that Amber reported she was “concerned about ability to trust fiance following argument” two days earlier. Trust him with what? Johnny’s lawyer asked if she meant concerns Johnny was “cheating on her.” Falati said she didn’t remember ever hearing that specifically but that she had a “generalized memory of there being jealousy and anxiety issues including mistrust within the relationship.”
Domestic Violence?
Notes from December 17, 2015 actually may bolster Amber’s claims of abuse. Falati wrote that she saw Amber at her penthouse after a fight with Johnny.
According to the note, Amber “had visible bright red blood appearing at center of lower lip” which was “actively bleeding.” The medical notes stated:
“Heard stated it was from injury sustained in an argument between her and her husband.”
Whoa! It’s no smoking gun, but thus far we’ve heard a lot of witnesses say they didn’t see any injuries on Amber at times she should have shown marks. This is a big departure from that, and from a medical professional as well. Falati continued that her client “states her head is bruised and she has lost clumps of hair in the altercation.” Meaning Johnny pulled her hair? Yeesh. That does not sound good for Johnny’s case.
24-Hour Party People
Toward the very end of their relationship, the mistrust was a little more concrete…
Cut to four months later, in April 2016. It was Amber’s 30th birthday party, and Johnny was late due to an important meeting with his accountants. He didn’t arrive at the party until 10:15.
Amber was upset. Falati noted:
“Heard appears to laugh and smile when talking to friends but mood turns depressed and affect flat when she is alone or talking with friend Rocky… Heard said: ‘I can’t believe (Depp) isn’t here yet. He keeps saying he is on his way but he still hasn’t shown up.'”
OK, she was upset with her husband for being late to her birthday. Why is that significant? Because of what she did next. The very next day she went to Coachella with friends as a birthday trip.
On May 11, 2016, she told Falati all about the trip — and we use that term advisedly, considering:
“Client admits to illicit drug use, and states she ingested mushrooms and MDMA simultaneously and vomited and was ‘high for at least 24 hours straight.'”
Falati wrote that she “reminded client that illicit drug use will not be tolerated by medical staff and that any medications or drugs that are not prescribed can cause adverse effects with her prescribed medication.”
It was then that Amber threw another previously unknown incident in Falati’s face, saying:
“Client laughed and also reported using illicit drugs (mushrooms and MDMA) on March 9 at home with a high profile male acquaintance. Client reported that her husband was not aware of the male visitor, not her illicit drug use.”
Sorry, what? She brought a guy back to their place and did MDMA with him? That certainly sounds like the source of some mistrust right there. We heard Johnny was jealous of Amber’s relationship with James Franco and Elon Musk. Was it one of these two? Was it cheating?
Even if so, it doesn’t excuse domestic violence. So ultimately this witness may end up being the first one that helps Amber…
Motion Denied
Falati was actually called by Johnny’s team, their penultimate witness, followed by an accountant who spelled out just how much the Pirates actor probably lost out on as a result of being fired by Warner Bros and Disney and becoming a Hollywood pariah.
Related: Amber’s Aquaman Role Cut WAY Down As Petition To Fire Her Reaches 3 Million!
After the plaintiff’s side rested their case, Amber’s lawyers immediately filed a motion to dismiss the whole case, arguing that Johnny had not proven his claims.
We had heard this legal move was coming — from our understanding it’s something of a given in cases like this. But it was a no-go, with Judge Penney Azcarate denying the motion, stating that even if there was a “scintilla” of evidence presented by Johnny’s side that he had lost out on money because of the op-ed, and that the op-ed was false, then the case had to continue. She believed there was evidence — and stated that it would be up to the jury to weigh that evidence.
Both sides got heated after the motion was denied. Amber’s attorney Benjamin Rottenborn spelled it out for the jury: if they believe Johnny Depp ever abused Amber Heard, “even one time, she wins — it’s that simple.”
It’s there that Falati’s testimony becomes better for Amber’s case. Even if she didn’t do wonders for the public perception of the Aquaman star’s character, that one night she saw evidence of violence on Amber’s face — even without witnessing the abuse itself — could be damning.
Rottenborn went a bit further though. He declared that the evidence of abuse against Amber was “overwhelming and undisputed.”
Johnny’s attorney Benjamin Chew showed surprising anger in the courtroom after Rottenborn’s statement. He argued that his client had “come forward with multiple credible witnesses, documents and authentic tape recordings of Miss Heard herself” showing their relationship was not at all how she claimed in her Washington Post piece, the one which we all learned had only nominally been written by her. Chew attested that the evidence satisfied all “requisite elements” to prove Johnny was not an abuser, even going the “extra mile of showing Miss Heard physically abused him” instead. He reportedly raised his voice considerably, exclaiming:
“She’s the abuser in this courtroom!”
What do YOU think of the latest in this tempestuous case? Is bringing up Amber’s mental health struggles important to show her state of mind and the nature of the relationship? Or was Johnny’s team grasping at straws — and grabbed a snake by mistake??
[Image via Law&Crime Network/YouTube.]
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