Psychiatrist and physician Dr. David Spiegel has spoken out about the backlash he has received following his testimony in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation case.
Spiegel was called to the stand as one of Heard's expert witnesses - and his testimony certainly left an impression on fans who were following the trial.
When questioned by Heard's attorney Elaine Bredehoft, the Virginia-based board-certified psychiatrist said: "Mr Depp has behaviors that are consistent with someone that both has substance use disorder as well as behaviors of someone who is a perpetrator of intimate partner violence."
The psychiatrist did acknowledge that he never interviewed Depp directly - rather, he drew conclusions from reviewing the actor's depositions and other materials in the case.
In another moment during the trial, Spiegel was commenting on Depp's alleged use of an earpiece while filming movies.
Watch Depp cover his face after Spiegel questions if Marlon Brando is dead:When questioned by Depp's attorney Wayne Dennison if Spiegel may have made an error in his statement, the psychiatrist responded: "I don’t believe that actors are routinely given their entire script through earpieces. I find that hard to believe."
The lawyer then asserted there was no evidence to prove this, asking: "Do you know whether Marlon Brando used an earpiece?"
Spiegel then replied: "Whether... Isn’t he dead?" A moment that made Depp, 58, cover his face with his hand.
Following Spiegel's appearance in the trial, his professional Google page was bombarded with unfavorable one-star reviews, as pointed out by NBC News reporter Kat Tenbarge on Twitter. Insider also reported that the doctor's WebMD page was also flooded with poor reviews, with many mentioning the trial - but these appear to have been rectified by the site.
Now, in an op-ed for Newsweek, Dr. Spiegel has claimed that he has been the victim "personal attacks" following his testimony.
The article is titled, 'I Testified in the Heard vs. Depp Trial. The Backlash Has Been Horrific'.
In the piece, Spiegel reveals that after he had left the courthouse, he received a call from his wife warning him about what people were saying online.
"I asked her how horrific it was, and she told me it was pretty bad," Spiegel wrote. "I'm not a social media expert, far from it, so I didn't expect the whole horrific post-trial backflow. It's been a little stunning for me."
He wrote that a lot of what is being said about him is "personal attacks" on who he is, what he looks like, and how he presents.
"I deal with people for a living, so I tried to understand where people were coming from," he added. "It's what a psychiatrist does. But the comments below the YouTube videos of me have been vile. And, some people have access to my work email, so I've gotten four or five charming editorials about myself."
Spiegel then explained that his WebMD page had been closed to comments after receiving "hundreds" of negative reviews.
"I had what I'd describe as an emotional concussion," Spiegel wrote. "It wasn't physical, I didn't get hit on the head, it was emotional because the feedback afterwards left me a little on the numb and dazed side."
The psychiatrist then said that he wishes Johnny Depp would have spoken out in an effort to get his fans not to bombard the doctor with abusive comments.
"The fact that he hasn't probably says potential volumes about him," Spiegel said.
Spiegal then wished Amber Heard the best with her "emotional healing" following her defeat in the courtroom, and asked people to consider more "appropriate" ways of voicing their dissatisfaction with his testimony.