Blatant lies, violence and drug addiction: the lawyers for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard do not hold back in their opening statements. The process is expected to take around six weeks.
Violent allegations at the start of the civil trial between Johnny Depp (58) and Amber Heard (35): The ex-husbands’ lawyers sharply attacked the other side in their opening speeches in a court in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Heard damaged Depp’s reputation with shameless lies and fabricated statements and thus caused irreparable damage, Depp’s lawyer Benjamin Chew accused the actress. She presented herself as an innocent, abused victim to advance her own career.
Heard’s attorney, Benjamin Rottenborn, promised evidence that would expose Depp as an alcohol and drug addict. The jury will get to know the “real” person behind the pirate costume. The process is not about being an arbiter about the “imperfect marriage of two movie stars”, but about deciding on freedom of speech.
Mutual allegations of reputational damage
Depp accuses his ex-wife of making false statements in a 2018 op-ed by the Washington Post on domestic violence. As a result, she damaged his reputation, it said. Heard, in turn, sees her reputation damaged by Depp’s allegations of criminal conduct such as perjury and fraud.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is demanding around 50 million dollars (equivalent to a good 45 million euros) in damages and a fine of 350,000 dollars from Heard for defamation. The actress is seeking $100 million in damages and a $350,000 fine for defamation.
The trial before a seven-person jury is expected to last around six weeks. Depp and Heard are said to testify themselves, and prominent witnesses are expected, including Tesla boss Elon Musk and actors Paul Bettany and James Franco.
Source: Stern
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