Johnny Depp's defamation case trial against Amber Heard begins. Details inside
India Today
Johnny Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against his ex-wife and actress Amber Heard. The trial has begun and will involve witnesses like James Franco, Paul Bettany and Elon Musk.
The trial of Johnny Depp’s $50 million lawsuit against his ex-wife and actress Amber Heard over an opinion piece she wrote in The Washington Post has begun. In the same, she had claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. While she never mentioned Depp, the actor’s lawyers claim that it damaged his career and reputation.
After Johnny Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against Amber Heard for her op-ed, she sued him back. A part of the defamation complaint filed by Depp’s lawyer read, "The op-ed's clear implication that Mr Depp is a domestic abuser is categorically and demonstrably false. Her allegations are part of an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Ms Heard and advance her career."
The defamation trial will be broadcast live and there are around 120 people on the potential list of witnesses. It will feature testimony from witnesses like James Franco, whom Heard claims to have confided in about the bruises she got due to her fight with Depp. Other high-profile witnesses are Depp’s friend Paul Bettany and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who reportedly had knowledge of the abuse during his and Amber’s 2016-2018 relationship.
In 2018, Johnny Depp had sued a British tabloid for an article that referred to him as a "wife beater". He lost the case. Now, he is riled up in the defamation case against Amber Heard.
Before the trial began, the actress shared this statement on Instagram:
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had met on the sets of The Rum Diary in 2009 and started dating a few years later. In 2015, they got married. In 2016, Heard filed for divorce and alleged that Depp had physically abused her during their marriage under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Depp denied the accusations and stated that Heard was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse."
