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The bitter war of roses between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard goes into the next round. A Virginia court selected the jury.
Amber Heard gets into a car following the first day of the trial.
AFP / Samuel Corum
Supporters from both camps stand in front of the courthouse.
Getty Images via AFP/Paul Morigi
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Johnny Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, said in a newspaper article that she was a victim of domestic violence, without naming Depp.
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Both accuse each other of damage to their reputations.
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The trial has begun – he’s asking for $50 million, she’s asking for $100 million.
The years-long court battle between former Hollywood dream couple Johnny Depp (58) and Amber Heard (35) is entering the next round. A civil trial before a court in the district of Fairfax in the US state of Virginia should officially start on Tuesday with the opening pleas. A jury of seven members and four substitute members had been selected on Monday under the supervision of Judge Penney Azcarate, US media reported. Both Heard and Depp appeared in court with their respective defense attorneys.
Depp filed the lawsuit once morest Heard in 2019. The actor accuses his ex-wife of making false statements in a 2018 op-ed regarding domestic violence published by the Washington Post. As a result, she damaged Depp’s reputation, it was said. The actor is not mentioned by name in the article. Heard, in turn, sees her reputation damaged by Depp’s allegations of criminal conduct such as perjury and fraud.
Elon Musk and James Franco on witness list
Depp is seeking around $50 million in damages and a $350,000 fine from Heard for defamation. The actress, in turn, had initially called for the lawsuit to be dismissed and then filed a now partially approved counterclaim once morest Depp for defamation, among other things. She is demanding $100 million in damages and a $350,000 fine.
Because the “Washington Post” is printed in Springfield in the Fairfax district and the online servers are also stationed there, the process takes place in the state. Heard’s defense attorneys had previously attempted to have him transferred to her Los Angeles home, but to no avail. The process is expected to take around six weeks. Depp and Heard are expected to testify themselves, and the list of possible witnesses includes prominent names such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and actors Paul Bettany and James Franco.
Heard and Depp met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2009 and married in 2015. After only 15 months of marriage, they separated once more in 2016. “Our relationship was intensely passionate and sometimes erratic, but always bound by love,” they shared at the time. Depp had previously been with the French singer Vanessa Paradis for a long time, and the relationship has two children. Heard temporarily dated Elon Musk following marrying Depp. She has been the mother of a daughter for regarding a year.
The first trial made headlines around the world
Depp and Heard have already had a lawsuit: Depp had sued the publisher of the British tabloid “The Sun” for an article in which it was alleged that he had physically abused Heard. For weeks, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor and his ex-wife, 23 years his junior, painted a picture of a deeply destructive relationship in court, and the process made headlines around the world.
The High Court in London finally dismissed the lawsuit in 2020 and later also a request for appeal. The majority of the allegations mentioned in the newspaper turned out to be true, the judges had determined in their verdict. After the verdict, Depp criticized that the court had relied solely on the statements of his ex-wife and ignored counter-evidence from the police and other witnesses.
She will now remain offline for a few weeks, Heard announced before the next trial. “I have always retained a love for Johnny and it pains me deeply that we must live out the details of our past together before the eyes of the world,” the actress wrote on Twitter. “Hopefully, when this trial is over, Johnny and I can put a stop to it.”
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(DPA/chk)