Addiction doctor also says actor told him he cut part of his own finger off after fight with Amber Heard
Johnny Depp hired a doctor to provide 24/7 private treatment for substance abuse. That same doctor was summoned to check on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star after a violent fight with his then-wife Amber Heard, the doctor said Thursday in a pre-recorded deposition played in court.
Dr. David Kipper, a private addiction specialist who offered personalized services and traveled the world with the star, said he was trying to help Depp detox from alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, and cocaine.
Kipper told the court Depp struggled during detox and would get angry with him for insisting that he take his medication. He claimed Depp fired him several times, but would eventually return to treatment.
Kipper said his nurse reported finding Depp with “scraped and bloody knuckles” after punching a wall during a fight with Heard on Depp’s island in the Bahamas. The nurse also reported a frustrated Depp kicked in the door of a trailer on a movie set.
At one point during a visit to Australia, Depp told Kipper he “lost part of a finger” after a violent fight with Heard. Kipper described the incident from March 2015, explaining that Depp texted him to say the tip of his finger had been severed. Kipper said he made a house call to check on Depp who was “coherent,” but the house was a mess and there appeared to be “blood on the wall.”
During opening statements Tuesday, Depp’s attorneys alleged Heard threw a bottle at Depp causing his injured finger. But in Thursday’s taped deposition, Kipper said Depp sent him a text saying he had cut off his own finger while fighting with his wife.
“I cannot live like this. She’s as full of s—t as a Christmas goose,” Kipper said Depp wrote in a text message. “I cut the top of my middle finger off.”
Kipper said he also received a text from Depp saying Heard really wasn’t into her husband.
“She is so desperate for success and fame,” Depp texted him. “That is probably why I was acquired.”
