Johnny Depp, Amber Heard back in court for multimillion-dollar, very public defamation trial - Action News
Home WebMail Thursday, November 14, 2024, 01:18 AM | Calgary | 6.7°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Entertainment

Johnny Depp, Amber Heard back in court for multimillion-dollar, very public defamation trial

The latest chapter in Hollywood star Johnny Depp's legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard kicks off on Monday as a U.S. defamation trial begins over allegations Heard made about domestic abuse.

Depp has sued Heard for $50 million US, saying she defamed him when she penned a 2018 opinion piece

Johnny Depp appears at the High Court in London on July 17, 2020, left, and Amber Heard appears outside the High Court in London on July 28, 2020. Jury selection begins on Monday for the libel lawsuit filed by Depp against Heard in Virginia after The Washington Post published her opinion piece. (The Associated Press)

The latest chapter in Hollywood star Johnny Depp's legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard kicks off on Monday as a U.S. defamation trial begins over allegations Heard made about domestic abuse.

Depp, 58, has sued Heard for $50 million US, saying she defamed him when she penned a 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse.

The op-ed never mentioned Depp by name, but Depp's lawyers have said it was clear Heard was referencing him, and that the piece damaged his film career and reputation.

Depp has denied all allegations of abuse, saying in his lawsuit that Heard's claims were an "elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Ms. Heard and advance her career."

Juror selection is expected to begin Monday in the case.

Depp wants the Fairfax County jury to find that Heard knowingly made false claims.

Supporters of Depp stand outside the Fairfax County Courthouse on Monday in Fairfax, Va. Jury selection has begun in a long-anticipated libel lawsuit filed by Depp against ex-wife Heard. (Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press)

Heard, for her part, will argue that she is shielded, or "immune," from liability because her 2018 op-ed on domestic violence dealt with a matter of public concern.

"I never named him. Rather, I wrote about the price women pay for speaking out against men in power. I continue to pay the price, but hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny," Heard said in a statement released on Saturday.

The Washington Post is not a defendant in the trial.

Depp lost libel case in 2020

The U.S. trial comes less than two years after Depp lost a libel case against The Sun, a British tabloid that labelled him a "wife beater." A London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted Heard and put her in fear for her life.

WATCH | Johnny Depp loses U.K. libel suit:

Johnny Depp loses U.K. libel suit

4 years ago
Duration 1:52
Johnny Depp has lost his court case against a British tabloid that labelled the actor a wife beater. The judge said he believed the claims were substantially true.

The United States is a difficult forum for libel plaintiffs, especially public figures like Depp, who faces several hurdles in the Virginia case. Depp must prove by clear and convincing evidence that Heard knowingly made false claims.

Under English defamation law, the person being sued has the burden of proving their claims were true.

Depp and Heard met while making The Rum Diaryin 2011 and married four years later. Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse after filing for divorce in 2016.

Depp ascended to Hollywood stardom in the 1990s with portrayals of loners and outsiders in cult classics such as John Waters'sCry-Babyand Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands.

He became a household name with the swashbuckling Disney franchise Pirates of the Caribbean,playing fan favourite Jack Sparrow.

Heard, 35, is known for her roles in Aquamanand Justice League.She has brought her own libel claim against Depp, saying he smeared her by calling her a liar.

Heard: Depp had alter ego, 'the monster'

Heard's counterclaim will be decided as part of the trial, which could last for six weeks. Heard is seeking $100 million in damages from Depp, according to court papers.

In her evidence to the London High Court, Heard said Depp would turn into a jealous alter ego, "the monster,"after binging on drugs and alcohol and had threatened to kill her.

She detailed 14 occasions of extreme violence when she said the actor choked, punched, slapped, head-butted, throttled and kicked her. The London judge is accepting 12 of these accounts as true.

Following the November 2020 ruling in the London libel trial, Depp was replaced with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen in the third film in the Fantastic Beastsfranchise, a spin-off from the Harry Potterbooks and films.