Michelle Kaplan
Michelle Kaplan is a member of Amber Heard's defense legal team in the 2022 Fairfax County defamation trial, serving alongside lead counsel Elaine Bredehoft and J. Benjamin Rottenborn. She served as one of six named defense-side attorneys. The record does not provide information about her firm affiliation or broader professional background beyond her appearances in this case.
Testimony Impact
Kaplan handled three witness examinations across Days 18 and 19, each advancing Heard's domestic violence and substance abuse narrative. She cross-examined Josh Drew — originally a Depp witness — drawing out admissions of Depp's drug use exceeding twenty witnessed occasions and corroborating photographic injury evidence from December 2015 and May 2016. On direct with acting coach Kristina Sexton, she built a chronological arc of Depp's escalating control and volatility, including Depp's own admission to "turning into a monster," and on redirect extracted character evidence of his comfort faking insurance drug tests. She closed with Ellen Barkin on direct, introducing a pre-marriage witness to Depp's substance use and a hotel room wine bottle throw, anchoring the defense's pattern-of-behavior case in events predating the marriage.
Key Moments
Drew acknowledges witnessing Depp use drugs on more than twenty occasions, undercutting Depp's credibility on substance use across the trial.
Day 18 · Cross of Josh Drew
Drew identifies photographs of Heard's injuries from December 15, 2015, confirming he was present when Pennington took them — first-hand corroboration of a key date in Heard's abuse chronology.
Day 18 · Cross of Josh Drew
Sexton recounts Depp calling Heard's acting roles 'whore parts,' 'trash parts,' and 'piece of shit parts,' corroborating the defense's portrayal of Depp's controlling behavior.
Day 18 · Direct of Kristina Sexton
Sexton details building a one-hour buffer into sessions because Heard regularly arrived in tears after audible arguments, with Kaplan quantifying frequency to establish a documented pattern.
Day 18 · Direct of Kristina Sexton
On redirect, Sexton recounts Depp privately boasting that insurance drug tests are easy to fake and advising a client to cheat one — introduced as character evidence on his substance use credibility.
Day 18 · Redirect of Kristina Sexton
Barkin testifies that Depp threw a wine bottle across a Las Vegas hotel room during Fear and Loathing filming — a pre-marriage incident anchoring the defense's escalating-violence narrative.
Day 19 · Direct of Ellen Barkin
Evidence From Their Proceedings (8)
December 2015 Heard Facial Injury Photos — Drew Exhibit 11
A set of photographs depicting Heard's facial injuries from December 15, 2015, attached as exhibit 13 to Heard's deposition declaration. Josh Drew confirmed he was present during…
Catalog entry →Drew 1 — Hand-drawn architectural floor plan of the penthouse layout
Hand-drawn architectural floor plan of the penthouse layout used to orient testimony about movements on May 21.
Catalog entry →Drew 7 — Document covering pages 10–13 relating to the May 21, 2016 i
Document covering pages 10–13 relating to the May 21, 2016 incident, referenced as the basis for Kaplan's narrative questioning.
Catalog entry →Drew Exhibit 10 — Kitchen Counter Writing, PH3 (Dec. 15, 2015)
A photograph of the kitchen counter in Penthouse 3 showing handwriting attributed to Depp reading 'Why be a fraud. All is such bullshit.' Josh Drew identified the handwriting as…
Catalog entry →Drew Exhibit 18 — PH5 Damage Photos (May 21, 2016)
Photographs depicting damage inside Penthouse 5 from the May 21, 2016 incident, including Heard's closet area and a stairwell landing.
Catalog entry →May 21, 2016 Night Photos by Drew — Injuries and Apartment
A series of photographs taken on the night of May 21, 2016, designated as Drew Exhibit 13, depicting Heard's facial injuries, apartment damage including broken glass and pictures…
Catalog entry →May 22, 2016 Face Photos — Drew 14
Photographs of Heard's face taken on May 22, 2016, the day after the May 21 incident, designated as Drew Exhibit 14. Drew confirmed they were taken by him or Pennington and were…
Catalog entry →Sexton 1 — IMDb page for The Playboy Club, used to refresh Sexton's rec
IMDb page for The Playboy Club, used to refresh Sexton's recollection of the year she first worked with Heard as a TV acting coach.
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