Amber Heard spat in assistant’s face when she asked for higher salary, court told

A former personal assistant to Amber Heard has told a court the star spat in her face when she asked for a payrise.

Pirates of the Caribbean star, Johnny Depp, is suing his ex-wife for libel after she wrote an article calling herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. He denies domestic abuse.

Kate James testified Thursday in a video deposition that Heard descended into screaming fits of blind rage, sent incoherent text messages at 4am and was often drunk and high on illegal drugs.

She claimed Depp, on the other hand, was calm, almost shy, "like a total Southern gentleman”.

She alleged Heard was frequently intoxicated and verbally abusive, including to her own mother and sister, on contrast to Depp’s behaviour.

“Her poor sister was treated like a dog that you kicked, basically," James said.

James, who worked for Heard from 2012 to 2015, said she was paid "very poorly,” with an initial salary of $25 an hour with duties ranging from picking up Heard’s dry cleaning to talking with the actress’ Hollywood agents.

She claimed that among her tasks were picking up two copies of any magazine that featured Heard and storing them in the garage to prevent Depp from seeing them.

Heard went into a "blind rage" after she failed to place the magazines in the garage, James said.

The former personal assistant alleged Heard was a "very dramatic person" who was deeply insecure in her relationship with Depp, often calling her to cry and complain about him.

“I remember one time she called me when she was alone in New York City, and she was crying and walking around the streets," she said.

She said she told Heard to go inside as she “was worried that the paparazzi might take a photo of her."

Some of the assistant’s evidence focused on a text message that Depp had sent to James after he and Heard split up.

Depp’s text read: “Come over for a spot of purple and we’ll fix her flabby ass nice and good.”

A lawyer asked if “spot of purple” meant wine and whether “her” meant Heard. James said she didn’t want to speculate.

"This is the way he writes," James said of Depp. "It’s very random and you don’t sort of question it. … He writes in a very abstract way."

Depp is suing Heard over a 2018 opinion piece for the Washington Post, which does not mention him by name.

However, his lawyers argue that it references a restraining order that Heard sought in May 2016, right after Depp told her he wanted a divorce.

Heard’s lawyers say the evidence will prove that he abused her. His denials, they claim, lack credibility because he frequently drank and used drugs to the point of blacking out.

Both Depp and Heard are expected to testify at the trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court, scheduled for six weeks, along with actors Paul Bettany and James Franco and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.