Lawyers for actor Johnny Depp have given a jury an overview of his US defamation case against his ex-wife and fellow actor Amber Heard, the latest chapter in a long-running legal fight between the two Hollywood stars.
Tuesday saw the opening statements in a Virginia courtroom of a lawsuit Depp, 58, brought against Heard, 35, for $50 million in 2018.
Depp alleges Heard defamed him when she penned a December 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse.
The op-ed never mentioned Depp by name, but Depp lawyer Benjamin Chew told jurors on Tuesday that it was clear Heard was referencing the Hollywood actor.
Chew said Heard's op-ed, published on the eve of the release of her film Aquaman, "falsely and unfairly cast Mr Depp as a villain - a man who would abuse a woman".
"For nearly 30 years, Mr Depp built a reputation as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood - a respected artist whose name was associated with success at the box office," Chew said. "Today, his name is associated with a lie."
Ben Rottenborn, a lawyer for Heard, said in his opening statement that Depp was trying to mislead and distract the jury with "crazy conspiracy theories".
Rottenborn said the case is about whether Heard's op-ed was protected free speech.
"That is the question, and that is what you are being asked to decide," Rottenborn told jurors.
"Mr Depp's team is going to try this case into a soap opera," Rottenborn said. "Why? I'm not really sure, because the evidence isn't pretty for Mr Depp."
A state court judge in Fairfax County, Virginia is overseeing the trial, which could last six weeks. Both actors attended court on Tuesday and are due to give evidence.
The US trial comes less than two years after Depp lost a libel case against British tabloid The Sun, which had called him a "wife beater". A London High Court judge ruled Depp had repeatedly assaulted Heard and put her in fear for her life.
In the US case, Depp and Heard both submitted long lists of potential witnesses they could put on the stand.
Heard's list includes her ex-boyfriend and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, who she texted with about Depp. Also on the list of potential witnesses is actor James Franco.
Depp wants jurors to find that Heard knowingly made false claims.
Heard, for her part, will argue that she has told the truth and 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 case. Depp's lawyers have said they filed the case in Fairfax County, outside the District of Columbia, because the newspaper is printed at a facility there.
Heard unsuccessfully tried to transfer the case to Los Angeles, where she and Depp lived.
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.
Depp and Heard met while making The Rum Diary in 2011 and married four years later. Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse after filing for divorce in 2016.
Heard is also known for her roles in Justice League and Magic Mike XXL. She has brought her own libel claim against Depp, saying he smeared her by calling her a liar.
Heard's counterclaim will be decided as part of the trial. She 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 after binging on drugs and alcohol and had threatened to kill her.
She detailed 14 occasions of extreme violence. Mr Justice Nicol accepted 12 of these accounts as true. Depp was refused permission to bring an appeal against the High Court ruling
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 Beasts franchise, a spin-off from the Harry Potter books and films.
Source: AFP
