Witness

Adam Waldman

232 lines of testimony

Bio

Founder and managing member of Endeavor Law Firm (formed ~2007), an independent attorney who began representing Johnny Depp in October 2016. Waldman served as Depp's outside counsel and frequent media spokesperson, issuing public statements to outlets including the Daily Mail, Rolling Stone, and German broadcaster RTL. He is not a Depp employee — receives no W-2, has other clients, and had his Twitter account permanently suspended.

Testimony Impact

Waldman appeared via deposition video on Day 19, the only vehicle through which the jury heard from Depp's media-facing attorney. Bredehoft walked him through the April and July 2020 Daily Mail statements calling Heard's allegations a "hoax" and an "ambush" — the core utterances underlying Heard's $2M counterclaim — while Chew blocked nearly every authorization question on attorney-client privilege grounds. Rottenborn then exposed Waldman's information pipeline to anonymous social media personalities ("That Umbrella Guy," "ThatBrianFella," "TheRealLauraB") and dismantled his on-record RTL claim that LAPD had opened a perjury investigation into Heard, showing it rested on his own complaint to an unnamed desk officer. A brief Chew cross reframed Waldman as an independent attorney rather than a Depp employee.

Notable Quotes From The Record

“What is correct is that I was not the first to contact Rolling Stone.”

Waldman corrects a Rolling Stone article that attributed the media outreach to him, revealing Depp himself initiated the contact with the publication.

“Well, I wrote several letters to Twitter to ask why I was suspended for life from their platform, and the response that I received was multiple violations of their policy. So I asked, could they name one example of those multiple violations, and they responded by saying now they were appealing, without my asking them to do so, my suspension. And that's when they sent me another note saying I was suspended for life.”

Waldman describes his permanent Twitter ban, illustrating the aggressive nature of his online conduct and Twitter's response.

“The part with the quote marks, I believe I said that, yes.”

Waldman confirms he made the 'ambush, a hoax' statement to the Daily Mail characterizing the May 2016 penthouse incident as staged by Heard.

“My recollection is that I gave a pair of audiotapes, actually, to them. Whether that occurred sequentially or at the same time, I don't remember, but I provided them two tapes.”

Waldman confirms he provided two audiotapes to The Mail Online, at a meeting he believes Depp attended, raising questions about the sourcing and authorization of that disclosure.

“On May 21st, 2016, and I always view this as one of her central claims. It was the one she put on the cover of People magazine.”

Waldman frames the May 21 phone-throwing incident as the centerpiece of Heard's abuse narrative, setting up his witness-list testimony.

“I've had several phone calls with a person who goes by the name That Umbrella Guy. Don't actually know his real name.”

Waldman admits to repeated contact with an anonymous social media personality to whom he channeled case information, raising questions about coordinated public messaging.

“I would say I communicate with the Internet journalists, because we put them in a category calling them, I've done that. Exactly the way I would communicate with mainstream media.”

Waldman characterizes his social media outreach as equivalent to mainstream press relations, downplaying the asymmetry between anonymous online personalities and credentialed outlets.

“I didn't ask him to open an investigation. I filed a claim with the LAPD regarding these perjurious statements that Ms. Heard and her best friend, Rocky Pennington had made to a court”

Waldman distinguishes filing a complaint from requesting an investigation, but the distinction undercuts his public statement that LAPD had independently opened a criminal inquiry.

“Endeavor Law Firm.”

Names his independent firm, establishing professional separation from Depp.

“Managing member, I believe.”

Confirms ownership-level title at his own firm.

“I suppose the practice of law, in general, is legal training. But if I understand l your question correctly, no.”

Acknowledges the precision of Chew's question before confirming Depp provided no legal training.

“Probably not to the general public. But I offer legal services. I think that's your question.”

Confirms he is a practicing attorney offering legal services, closing the foundational credential sequence.

Key Moments

Bredehoft introduces Exhibit 5, the July 3, 2020 Daily Mail piece, and Waldman confirms making the 'quite simply, this was an ambush, a hoax' statement about the May 21, 2016 penthouse incident — the centerpiece utterance of Heard's defamation counterclaim entered into the record from Waldman's own mouth.