Johnny Depp's trial could become a soap opera, according to his lawyer
The trial of Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, is likely to turn into a six-week soap opera of assaults, Heard's lawyers warned a jury in Virginia on Tuesday.
“You will see who the real Johnny Depp is, beyond the fame, beyond the pirate locker room,” Heard J. attorney Benjamin Rottenborn told the jury during opening arguments in the civil trial. "Because Johnny Depp filed this case, all of this will come out."
Depp sued Heard for defamation in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote a Washington Post op-ed in 2018 in which she referred to herself as "a public figure representing abuse." domestic".
Depp says the article indirectly defames him by referring to allegations of abuse Heard made in 2016. Depp denies abusing her.
In opening arguments Tuesday, Rottenborn said the evidence will show that Depp physically and sexually abused Heard on multiple occasions. But he told the jury that they need not referee the couple's turbulent marriage if they focus on the basics of the defamation suit.
The attorney argued that Heard was exercising her right to free expression as an activist when she wrote the article, which focused primarily on the general issue of domestic violence.
He also pointed out that the 2018 article did not damage Depp's reputation. He said the allegations of abuse had been public for two years when the article was published and that Depp's career spiral is a result of drug and alcohol abuse, which has made him an untrustworthy actor for movie studios. Hollywood.
"This man's poor choices have brought him to this point," he said. "Stop blaming other people for your own created problems."
Above all, the lawyer pointed out that the article in question never mentions Depp by name.
Depp's attorney, Benjamin Chew, acknowledged that Depp's name never appears in the piece.
“I didn't have to do it,” Chew told the jury. "Everyone in Hollywood knew exactly who he was talking about."
Depp's team argues that the article is an example of "libel by implication". In the December 2018 article, Heard wrote, "Two years ago I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and felt the full force of our culture's anger against women who speak out."
Chew said that was a clear reference to the restraining order Heard filed for in May 2016 — right after Depp told him she wanted to divorce her — in which she claimed she had been physically abused.
Chew testified that Heard appeared in court on May 27 of that year with a bruise on her face that was photographed by paparazzi. But he added that the evidence will show that Heard inflicted the wound on herself to ruin Depp's reputation. He added that the actor and Heard hadn't seen each other since May 21, as he was on a European tour with his band, The Hollywood Vampires.
Police and others saw Heard immediately after May 21 and his face was unharmed, Chew said. He added that a witness will testify that he saw security footage of Heard's sister throwing fake punches at her and both of them laughing at her.
Another of Depp's lawyers, Camille Vasquez, told the jury that Heard refuses to admit that he lied and has now gotten into more trouble.
“You can't back down. He has been living and breathing this lie for years,” Vasquez said. "He is going to give the performance of his life in this court."
Depp and Heard are expected to testify at the trial, which is expected to last six weeks. Actors Paul Bettany and James Franco and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk could also testify.
Some 80 people, most of them Depp supporters, sat in court on Tuesday. Some lined up for hours to get seats, though several rows remained empty.
The court was silent a few minutes before 10 a.m. when Heard entered the room, through a special room usually reserved for the judge, but sighs could be heard when Depp entered a minute later, also because of the special access.
A civil jury of seven members and four alternates was selected Monday to hear the case.
Heard's attorneys had sought to have the trial held in California, where the actors live. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post's online servers are located in the state. Depp's lawyers have also said they brought the case in Virginia in part because local law is more favorable to their arguments.
