Amber Heard Issues Statement Before Being Cross-Examined: ‘The Truth Is Not on Johnny Depp’s Side’

The overwhelming evidence — the truth — is not on Depp’s side,” a spokesperson for Amber Heard said in a statement.

Amber Heard spoke out Monday morning prior to being cross-examined by ex-husband Johnny Depp’s lawyers in court.

A spokesperson for Heard said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, “There’s an old saying by trial lawyers: When the facts are on your side, argue the facts; when the facts are not on your side, pound away on the podium. Today, we expect Depp’s attorneys will instead pound away on the victim.”

“We fear it will be equal parts shameful and desperate,” the statement continued. “And, the overwhelming evidence — the truth — is not on Depp’s side. The one thing we suspect Depp’s attorneys will avoid is the central issue of this trial: Does Amber or any woman have the First Amendment Right of Freedom of Speech.”

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 58, is suing ex-wife Heard, 36, for defamation over the 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post about surviving domestic violence, though she didn’t mention him by name in the article. He originally filed the $50 million lawsuit in 2019 and the trial was delayed due to the pandemic.

Court resumed Monday morning in Fairfax, Virginia, after a pre-planned week-long break. This is Heard’s third day on the stand.

A spokesperson for Depp issued a statement after her second day testifying, casting doubt on her credibility and vowing to “highlight the many fallacies” during cross-examination.

“As Mr. Depp’s counsel correctly predicted in their opening statements last month, Ms. Heard did indeed deliver ‘the performance of her life’ in her direct examination,” the statement read. “While Ms. Heard’s stories have continued to grow new and convenient details, Mr. Depp’s recollections have remained exactly the same throughout the six painful years since her first allegations were made. His truth — the truth — is the same no matter the environment in which it is has been presented. The upcoming cross examination from Mr. Depp’s team will be most telling, and will certainly highlight the many fallacies Ms. Heard has now attempted to pass off as fact throughout her convoluted testimony.”

“If Mr. Depp was truly innocent, why has he repeatedly apologized to Ms. Heard and promised to put the ‘monster away for good’? One of Ms. Heard’s disappointments is Mr. Depp’s inability to distinguish fact from fiction — a malady which appears to have spread to his legal team,” the statement continued. “That same team is so panicked they are fighting tooth and nail to prevent compelling evidence and photos from being introduced. Small wonder Mr. Depp does not have the fortitude or courage to even look at Ms. Heard at all throughout the proceedings — as he could not in the U.K. trial — and instead he doodles and snickers.”