Person David Kipper Depp v. Heard← All People
Witness

David Kipper

Courtroom still of David Kipper.

Physician who treated Johnny Depp for substance use and his finger injury in Australia.

2022 Defamation Trial Apr 11 – Jun 1, 2022
Called by defendant
567 lines 5 proceedings 14 highlights

About

David Kipper, a physician and addiction specialist, began treating Johnny Depp in 2014. He oversaw detoxification and continuing care with nurses who worked with Depp. In a deposition played at trial, Kipper described Depp’s substance-use treatment and his own visit to the Australia house after Depp injured his finger. He found the house in disarray and saw what appeared to be blood on a wall. Kipper said he heard Depp tell an emergency-room doctor that he had sliced his finger with a knife; Depp later attributed the injury to a thrown bottle.

Kipper testified that he did not observe injuries to Amber Heard during the Bahamas detox or his Australia visit, and that he had never witnessed either partner abuse the other. Nurse Erin Falati, who also provided care under Kipper, separately documented a bleeding lip on Heard in December 2015. Questioned about the limits of his account, Kipper said he retained only summary notes from Australia. He also acknowledged that he continued working for Depp under a monthly retainer and had discussed the subjects of his deposition with Depp’s attorneys before testifying.

Trial Record (5)

2022 Defamation Trial Apr 11, 2022 – Jun 1, 2022 5 proceedings

Day 3

Direct Direct Examination of David Kipper David Kipper Adam Nadelhaft 4 307
Summary

Depp's private physician testifies about Depp's polysubstance treatment, the 2014 Bahamas detox, and his observations at the Australia house following the March 2015 finger injury.

Highlights (4)

Day 4

Cross Cross Examination of David Kipper David Kipper Jessica Meyers 4 218
Summary

Plaintiff's counsel examines Dr. Kipper through exhibits, establishing that neither he nor his nurses documented physical injuries to Heard during the Bahamas detox or Australia incident.

Highlights (4)
Redirect Redirect Examination of David Kipper David Kipper Adam Nadelhaft 2 13
Summary

Nadelhaft establishes that Depp told the ER he sliced his finger with a knife, and that nurse Boerum would have forwarded photos of Heard's injuries had she received them.

Highlights (2)
Quote

“Yes, if they saw that as valid Ms. Heard, for example, if somebody hurt Ms. Heard while she was under the care of -- direct care of Ms. Boerum, and Ms. Boerum documented that Ms. Heard had been injured, she certainly would have reported that to me.”

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Locations

Evidence From Their Proceedings (19)

Documents Admitted

Falati Nursing Notes for Amber Heard (Aug 2014–May 2016)

Erin Falati (née Boerum), Heard's personal nurse, maintained clinical notes documenting Heard's physical condition, emotional state, and medication regimen from August 2014…

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Digital Communications Admitted

Depp to Kipper — March 2015 Finger Injury Text (Exhibit 394)

Text message(s) from Depp to his physician Dr. David Kipper, sent around March 7–8, 2015, in which Depp states 'I cut the top of my middle finger off' and comments on Heard's…

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Documents Excluded

Kipper August 18, 2014 Email to Christi Dembrowski

An August 18, 2014 email from Dr. Kipper to Christi Dembrowski (Depp's sister and manager) summarizing Depp's post-Bahamas condition, including pessimism about stopping drugs,…

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Documents Unclear

Australia Hospital Emergency Room Records

Records from the hospital that treated Depp's finger injury in Australia, including documentation that Depp told the treating ER doctor he had sliced his finger with a knife, with…

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Documents Unclear

Depp–Kipper Texts July–August 2015 (Dr. Cowan / Medication Requests)

Text messages from Depp to Dr. Kipper in July–August 2015 showing Depp's hostility toward Heard's psychiatrist Dr. Cowan and requests for Xanax and Adderall as PRNs.

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Documents Unclear

Kipper June 2014 Bahamas Detox Consultation Notes

Kipper consultation notes from June 2014 documenting treatment encounters around the Bahamas detox arrangement, including Amber Heard's presence and her family history of drug and…

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Documents Unclear

Kipper-Lloyd Multi-Date Progress Notes (June 2014–April 2015)

A combined set of Kipper and nurse Lloyd patient progress notes for Depp spanning June 2014 through April 2015, including Bahamas detox notes, the bloody knuckles episode,…

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Documents Excluded

Sawhney March 8, 2015 Email re Depp's Australia Condition

A March 8, 2015 email from Raja Sawhney to Dr. Kipper containing notes on Depp's condition (under alias Robert Wells), including hand contamination observations and information…

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Documents Admitted

Depp Medical Records — Redacted Comprehensive File

A 123-page redacted compilation of Johnny Depp's medical records, admitted with redactions pending during Dr. Kipper's testimony.

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Documents Unclear

Fireman's Insurance Fund Invoices for Kipper Services (2014)

Insurance invoices from Fireman's Insurance Fund for Dr. Kipper's services in 2014, confirming the scope of Kipper's treatment relationship with Depp.

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Documents Unclear

Heard–Kipper August 8, 2016 Email Requesting December 2015 Records

An August 8, 2016 email from Amber Heard to Dr. Kipper requesting her December 2015 medical records; Kipper believed he provided them, which consisted of the Tinker note.

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Documents Unclear

Kipper Australia Summary Notes

Dr. Kipper's summary-level notes from the Australia treatment period, with Kipper confirming that only summary-level documentation exists and no detailed contemporaneous notes…

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Documents Unclear

Kipper Billing Records

Billing records from Dr. Kipper's files covering February 2015 through February 2021, establishing the ongoing financial relationship between Kipper and Depp including a monthly…

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Documents Unclear

Kipper Consultation Notes — Lloyd Presence and Medications

Consultation notes from Kipper's office used to establish Debbie Lloyd's presence at meetings and her role providing personally dispensed medications to Depp.

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Documents Admitted

Kipper June 11, 2014 Progress Note

A Kipper progress note dated June 11, 2014, recording a 'polysubstance abuse' clinical impression and a planned medication and detox protocol for Depp.

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Documents Unclear

Kipper March 15, 2015 Letter to Depp

A letter from Dr. Kipper to Johnny Depp dated March 15, 2015, following the Australia finger injury, referenced to establish Kipper's documentation practices around the incident.

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Documents Admitted

Kipper May 22, 2014 Intake Evaluation

Dr. David Kipper's intake evaluation of Johnny Depp dated May 22, 2014, documenting Depp's polysubstance abuse history at the start of the treatment relationship.

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Documents Unclear

Kipper–Depp Text Messages — Treatment Period Compilation

A compiled set of text messages exchanged between Dr. Kipper and Johnny Depp across the treatment period, containing Depp's use of 'monster' language, complaints about Heard, and…

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Documents Unclear

Monroe Tinker Patient Record for Heard, Dec 17, 2015

A patient record from Monroe Tinker documenting a physical examination of Amber Heard on December 17, 2015, initiated following a call about headaches. The examination found no…

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