A Fairfax County jury on Tuesday heard opening statements in Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard — a two-hour preview of the sometimes troubling allegations of physical abuse the actors have leveled at one another.
Depp’s attorneys argued that Heard is a liar that has irreparably damaged his career and reputation when she wrote a 2018 Washington Post op-ed piece describing herself as a survivor of domestic and sexual violence, two years after she claimed he did abused her and filed for divorce and a restraining order. (They were married 15 months by August 2016.) Heard’s attorneys countered that the actress’ comment was both true and protected by the First Amendment, and that Depp’s “crushing” battles with alcohol and drug addictions led to his career downfall; She has sued him for defamation for $100 million.
The high-profile trial has brought some excitement to the Fairfax County Historic Courthouse, where a jury was selected Monday. (Depp is suing Heard in Virginia because The Post’s printing facility and online servers are in Fairfax County; the state is also known for having weaker anti-defamation laws.) Before dawn Tuesday, Depp fans formed, curious ones Spectators and journalists lined up outside the courthouse to receive one of the 100 spectator wristbands per day allowed into the courtroom.
Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation over an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post about being a domestic violence survivor. The trial began on April 11th. (Video: Allie Caren/The Washington Post, Photo: The Washington Post)
FAQ: What you need to know about the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial
A number of news cameras set up on a nearby lawn to try to catch a glimpse of the stars were both in the courtroom, sitting quietly, only occasionally leaning forward to speak to their attorneys.
During an opening statement that lasted about 40 minutes, Depp’s attorneys Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez noted that a majority of the jury — seven people plus four alternates — in this civil trial likely recognize Oscar-nominated Depp for his work as a Hollywood actor. whom they stressed had never had an allegation of abuse or ill-treatment made against him before Heard.
“Today, his name is being linked to a lie, a false statement by his former wife, Amber Heard,” Chew said, adding that this case is about how damaging words can be, especially given that Depp’s career depends on its image. He showed three statements from The Post’s on-screen commentary, saying he had defamed Depp, who was not mentioned in the piece. “MS. Heard didn’t use Mr. Depp’s name in the comment. She didn’t have to.”
The actor’s lawyers said Depp wanted to clear his name. They cast Heard as aggressive in pursuing a romantic relationship with Depp when they met in the 2011 film The Rum Diary, and after they fell in love, she became physically violent and verbally abused him. They said she made up a story about him abusing her to keep him when he was about to file for divorce, and when that didn’t work, “she reshaped herself as an abuse survivor.” They claimed Heard made up elaborate stories and faked photos showing them with bruises.
Vasquez said Heard’s attorneys would reveal “terrifying details” to shock and overwhelm the jury. “It’s all a lie,” Vazquez said, calling Heard a “deeply troubled person” who would “give the performance of her life” during the trial. While Depp hasn’t denied that he has substance abuse issues, she said, “Battles with drugs and alcohol don’t make you an abuser.”
Heard’s attorneys, Ben Rottenborn and Elaine Bredehoft, spent approximately 90 minutes refuting those claims, saying that Depp’s attorneys were being deliberately inflammatory to distract from the main issue in the case, which is whether the words of the Post opinion piece were the Actresses – which he read should be said out loud in their entirety – are protected under the First Amendment as freedom of speech. “The answer is clearly yes,” Rottenborn said, adding that the article also spoke about supporting victims of violence in general, not Depp.
Depp’s team, he said, “is trying to turn this case into a soap opera,” a six-week spectacle of the most intimate aspects of their marriage. Rottenborn said he wasn’t sure why they made that choice, as the jury will see the “real” dork under the money, fame and pirate costume. “Amber never wanted to show the public who the real Johnny Depp is,” he said.
Heard’s attorneys said Depp specifically did not sue The Post, but instead targeted Heard for wanting to humiliate her and ruin her life and career, calling Depp an “obsessed ex-husband out for revenge.” They claimed Depp was physically, verbally and sexually violent, with incidents beginning when they were dating, and warned the jury would hear them in “graphic and horrific terms” about such abuse. Some incidents, they said, occurred when Depp passed out from drugs and alcohol, and his worst times were known to be when “the monster” would come out.
Bredehoft, who described Depp as the one who was keen to pursue Heard when they met, described some of the graphic abuse allegations and said Heard was forced to file her counterclaim when Depp’s attorney called her claims “fake” and “hoax.” . ” thereby hurting the actress’ career prospects; She starred in Aquaman and Justice League, and according to those statements, Bredehoft said her career “slumped.”
The plaintiff’s first witness subpoenaed Tuesday afternoon was Christi Dembrowski, Depp’s older sister, personal manager and president of his production company. She repeated the opening statements by saying that during their childhood, their mother physically abused the children and their father, and Depp dealt with it by withdrawing from the room and hiding. She testified that seeing the number of times Depp and Heard argued, she began booking an extra hotel room when the couple traveled so he could have a place to escape.
“I recognized what I felt to be repeating patterns from his childhood,” Dembrowski said, adding that she didn’t take such action when Depp was in a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, his partner of 14 and the mother of his two children. Dembrowski said that when Depp was dating Heard, “he just seemed so much sadder. He didn’t seem to be himself.”
Dembrowski said she was devastated to hear Depp and Heard were getting married and tried to persuade him to wait a little longer, or at least until the marriage contract could be finalized, which would protect his children . (Depp and Heard didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement.) She called him “one of the most devoted fathers I’ve ever seen,” and said one of the hardest parts of the abuse allegations was that it was interfering with his children’s lives.
Under cross-examination, Rottenborn, Heard’s attorney, asked about Dembrowski’s financial contribution to her brother’s career, since she receives a salary from his production company. He also wondered how devastated she was about Depp splitting up with Paradis, who Dembrowski considered a member of her family; Dembrowski said she was “a little sad” but just wanted them both to be happy.
Rottenborn tried to capture how concerned Dembrowski was about Depp’s behavior around 2014, when Heard told her he was drinking and using drugs. Dembrowski said that she knew her brother drank but had never seen him do drugs, and that Heard had a tendency to make things sound more “dramatic” than they were in real life. Rottenborn inquired about a text exchange in which Dembrowski told Depp to “stop drinking. Quit coke. Stop the pills.”
Dembrowski repeatedly said she didn’t remember the context of the conversation; Rottenborn also asked for various other texts, although several messages were mostly redacted for the jury. At one point, Depp’s attorney called a question “outrageous,” and shortly after the court adjourned for the day.
The case, with nearly 100 potential witnesses who could be called, is expected to continue through the end of May.