Expert Witness For Amber Heard Challenges Johnny Depp’s Claim Of How He Severed His Finger In 2015

The sixth week of Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation trial began with an expert witness, an orthopedic surgeon who cast doubt on the actor’s claim of how he severed his finger in March, 2015, forcing a delay on the set of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Depp claimed that during an argument with Amber Heard in their rented home in Australia, he severed his finger when she threw a large vodka bottle at him.

But Dr. Richard Moore, an orthopedic surgeon who said he has performed thousands of hand surgeries in his career, said that Depp’s injury was “not consistent” with what the actor described. Depp had said that his hand had been on the edge of the bar, but Moore raised doubts. He noted that there was not a record of cuts to other parts of Depp’s hand. Moore also said that, if Depp’s hand was face down on the edge of the bar, it would have caused injury to the nail. But photos show an injury below the nail.

“If a bottle struck the nail, there certainly would have been an injury to the nail bed,” Moore said. Rather, he said that Depp’s finger was more consistent with it being crushed in a door or drawer.

Heard testified that Depp sexually assaulted her with a bottle during the argument. Her legal team contends that Depp injured his finger on his own, and has highlighted a text in which Depp stated that he cut his finger off.

Depp’s severed finger required medical attention and surgery, and forced a delay to the filming of Pirates 5. The injury has been highlighted multiple times during the trial, as Depp has tried to show that he was the victim of his then-wife’s physical abuse. She has counter-sued Depp for $100 million.

As Moore expressed doubts about Depp’s account, the actor at times looked at the expert witness, and even smiled a bit as he whispered to one of his attorneys. Depp has rarely looked up as Heard and her legal team’s witnesses have taken the stand.

Moore said he reviewed Depp’s texts, testimony and depositions, as well as medical records and photos, to question the actor’s account.

But Moore faced a contentious cross examination from one of Depp’s attorneys, Camille Vasquez. She tried to discredit him by showing photos from the scene of the Depp-Heard argument, showing shattered glass on the floor next to the bar.

“Do you see body tissue around the bar?”

“Yes,” Moore said.

He acknowledged that he had not reviewed those photos. He also said that he was not aware of the testimony of another witness, Ben King, who managed the rented home and said that he had found part of the finger in the bar area.

Moore also admitted that he could not definitely say what caused the injury, but again said that the cause described by Depp “was inconsistent with the injury pattern found on the images.”

Vasquez also made a point of highlighting how much Moore was being paid as an expert witness: $1,000 per hour, and $5,000 per day for trial testimony.

Depp is expected to be called to that stand again later on Monday.

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