Amber Heard calling Johnny Depp back to the stand could be a “risk” — partly because of how likable he was when he testified in the former couple’s bombshell defamation trial, legal experts told The Post.
Sources close to Heard told The Post last week that the “Aquaman” actress’s legal team may plan to have Depp testify again as they argue her side in the ongoing courtroom battle in Fairfax, Virginia.
But the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star, who has already testified for four days, came across as believable and likable to the jury, experts said — noting that giving him a second round on the stand might hurt Heard’s case.
“There is a risk that he is going to have more time being likable on the stand,” said civil attorney Katherine Lizardo, “when it’s actually Amber Heard’s time to present her case.”
Seattle defamation lawyer Bruce Johnson agreed Depp’s apparent likability could be a problem for Heard.
“That is a huge risk — if he’s a good witness and he’s going to perform well again,” Johnson told The Post.
Halim Dhanidina — a criminal defense attorney and former California judge — said Depp’s “very unique personality” likely made him appealing to the jury the first time around.
“He didn’t really strike me as someone who was putting on an act or fabricating,” Dhanidina said. “The jury is going to want to know whether they can rely on testimony not based on how smart the witness appears, but how sincere they are.”
Depp, 58, is suing his 36-year-old ex-wife, accusing her of defaming him when she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
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