Johnny Depp Trial Live: Court resumes activity as celebrities are scheduled to testify
Johnny Depp is back in court on Monday for a $50 million lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard over domestic abuse allegations made by Heard. In 2018, Heard published an opinion piece in the Washington Post about her experience as a survivor of domestic violence.
Following the opening statements on Tuesday, the jury heard testimony and depositions from:
- Christi Dembrowski, Depp’s older sister
- Isaac Baruch, Depp’s childhood friend
- Laurel Anderson, the couple’s therapist,
- Kate James, a former personal assistant to Heard,
- Depp’s physician
Even if they’re sitting 15 feet apart, separated by lawyers and a deep chasm of resentment, Depp and Heard, who have only been married for three years, know how to put on a show. Depp’s $50 million lawsuit against Heard, whom he claims libeled him in 2018 by writing an opinion piece in the Washington Post falsely portraying him as a domestic abuser, indicates that the actor, who has been effectively blacklisted by Hollywood, believes he has little to lose.
Heard has been accused by Depp of fabricating domestic abuse allegations against him in order to “shock” and “manipulate” the #MeToo movement. The jury was told that she was the one who started the fights. In a $100 million countersuit, Heard’s attorneys claim that Depp is a “obsessed ex-husband hellbent on revenge” who punched, kicked, and sexually assaulted his wife with a vodka bottle.
The trial resumes on Monday morning. A judge instructed the jury not to read or watch anything related to the case or the couple during their three-day break. Both Depp and Heard are expected to testify in court, as are actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, as well as tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The trial is expected to last more than a month, beginning at 10 a.m. each day and running from Monday to Thursday.