In the defamation case against Amber Heard brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, a former neighbour of the couple became emotional during extensive testimony about his friendship with the pair.
Isaac Baruch, who first met Depp as a teenager in Florida and became his longtime friend, lived in one of the five penthouse lofts at the Eastern Columbia Building in Downtown Los Angeles owned by the actor.
At one point on Wednesday, he was asked by Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft if he was angry with her client given all that unfolded as the couple broke up and allegations were made against Depp.
“When?” he replied. “Oh, about the phony pictures in the tabloids and about the fake narrative and the way she trying to got a fraudulent domestic violence claim to extort and blackmail a man? Yeah – that kinda got me frustrated, angry, confused, and upset.”
He added, in reference to the end of his friendship with Heard in 2016: “Which is why I said the best thing for us to do was not talk to each other.”
Asked if he is still angry with her, he replied: “Oh, you know something. It’s six years, it’s six years. Am I angry anymore? What I am is tired. I want this all to end. For her to go heal, him to go heal.”
He continued: “It’s so many people have been affected by this malicious lie that she started and she created, and it’s gone out the door and around the world, and so I can’t even paint anymore. I’ve stopped painting for the last how many years.”
He added: “I’m not angry at anybody. I want the best for her, for her to take her responsibility, heal and move on. Move on, and for Johnny … his family has been completely wrecked by all of this stuff and it’s not … it’s not fair… it’s not right.”
Visibly emotional and wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, he added: “What she did and what happened for so many people to get affected from this. It’s insane how this happened.”
As a longtime friend of the actor, who formerly worked for Depp at the Viper Room nightclub, Mr Baruch – an artist – was offered a home in one of the lofts when Depp became his patron in 2013.
He knew the couple well and socialised with them often. In his testimony on Wednesday at the Fairfax County Court in Virginia, he recalled the incident in 2016 when Depp is alleged to have thrown a phone at Heard during a violent argument.
In the days after the incident, Mr Baruch testified that he had not seen any marks or bruises on Heard and said he did not believe she was wearing make-up. He saw her multiple times over the following week.
Mr Baruch said he was shocked when Heard made the allegations against Depp and filed for divorce. He then told her it was best they did not speak anymore.
