Depp vs. Heard Defamation Trial: Final Arguments Scheduled

Closing arguments in the multi-million dollar defamation dispute between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard are scheduled for Friday.

Following a gruelling six-week trial in which the famous couple accused one other of domestic abuse, the lawyers will present their closing arguments to the jury.

In the afternoon of Friday, Judge Penney Azcarate is likely to hand the case over to the seven-person jury that has been selected. They are taking a break this weekend and Monday, which is an official public holiday. They’ll return on Tuesday.

After Heard penned an Op-ed for the Washington Post in December 2018 describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic violence,” Depp launched a defamation complaint against her in Virginia.

Heard, a native of Texas did not identify Johnny Depp in the article, but he is suing her for $50 million in damages because she implied he was a domestic abuser.

Claiming that she had been subjected to “rampant physical assault and abuse,” she filed a $100 million counter-suit against him.

Dozens of witnesses took the stand in the high-profile trial that started on April 11th. These included bodyguards and executives and agents from the entertainment business, psychiatrists and physicians and friends and family members.

During the televised trial, which drew hundreds of “Pirates of the Caribbean” fans to Fairfax, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., Depp and Heard each testified for days on end.

Multiple recordings and video clips of the couple’s foul-mouthed disputes were played repeatedly for the jury, which also saw photos of Heard’s claimed injuries throughout their turbulent relationship.

In March 2015, a month after the couple had married, Depp sustained a finger injury while shooting “Pirates 5” in Australia. Hours of evidence from medical specialists followed.

During an altercation, Heard allegedly tossed a vodka bottle at Depp, breaking the tip of his right middle finger. The injury, according to Heard, was accidental.

Using the bloodied finger, Depp wrote inscriptions on walls, lampshades, and mirrors.

‘Monster’

When Depp went on booze and drug-fuelled binges, Heard warned that he would turn into a “monster” who would abuse him physically and sexually.

Heard said Depp threatened her with “global disgrace” if she left him, and a massive #JusticeForJohnnyDepp social media movement has been launched in his honour.

Anxiety attacks and nightmares are among the symptoms she gets because of the daily harassment and threats she faces.

People “want to murder me and they tell me so every day,” she claimed, according to her statement. “Since this trial began, I’ve received dozens of death threats, ridiculing my testimony about being attacked.”

Fans of Johnny Depp have been in attendance every day of the trial, some of whom have been in line overnight for hours to get a spot in the public gallery.

He was the last person to testify before the case came to a close.

The day before, Depp testified that hearing his ex-“outlandish” wife’s allegations of domestic violence had been “unimaginably awful.”

“No one is flawless, of course, but I have never in my life committed sexual violence or physical abuse,” he remarked, referring to his own past.

Injured filmmaking careers

“What I’ve been carrying on my back, grudgingly, for six years,” is what prompted Depp to take legal action.

Domestic abuse was cited as the reason for Heard’s restraining order against Depp in May 2016.

British tabloid The Sun is being sued by actor Johnny Depp for labelling him a “wife-beater” in a libel claim filed in London. In November 2020, he lost the lawsuit.

Both parties have alleged that it has harmed their Hollywood careers because of this dispute.

According to Heard’s legal team, one entertainment industry expert claimed that the actress had lost $45-50 million in film and television roles and sponsorships.

According to an industry expert recruited by Depp’s team, the actor has lost millions of dollars because of the abuse allegations, including a $22.5 million paycheck for the sixth chapter of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”