On Wednesday, Johnny Depp returned to the witness stand in a Virginia courtroom, a day after he first testified against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who he is suing for defamation for $50 million after she accused him of domestic abuse.

Depp filed the lawsuit against Heard in 2019, claiming she defamed him by describing herself in a Washington Post article as a victim of domestic violence. Though Heard didn't use Depp's name in her article, Depp's lawsuit alleged that any reasonable reader would understand it to reference their turbulent relationship and harsh 2016 divorce.

In the years before its publishing, Heard had claimed Depp threw a phone at her in their Los Angeles, California home, bruising her face. Depp denied the allegation and wasn't charged with any crime.

Depp called Heard's allegations "diabolical," saying,

"Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life."

Last Wednesday, Depp told the jury that he stayed with his "abusive" ex-wife Amber Heard for so long because he "didn't want to fail," and he was afraid she'd kill herself.

"I wanted to try to make it work," he said. "I thought maybe I could help her. Ms. Heard had spoken of suicide on a couple of occasions, so that also becomes a factor. That's something that lives in the back of your brain."

Depp is seeking at least $50 million in compensatory damages and a punitive award of at least $350,000, along with attorneys' fees and court costs.

Heard has been unsuccessful in her attempts to get the suit dismissed. She filed a $100 million defamation countersuit against Depp in 2020.