FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — After a six-week trial, a civil jury in Virginia is deliberating defamation claims by Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard. The trial has featured lurid testimony with explicit details about the movie stars’ short and volatile marriage. But what is the case really about? And what will the jury need to decide?:
DEPP’S LAWSUIT
Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard, alleging that a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post damaged his reputation and hurt his career. In the article, Heard described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp is not mentioned by name in the article, but his lawyers argued that it was clear she was referring to Depp, given that she had publicly accused him of domestic violence during their 2016 divorce proceedings. Heard’s lawyers said most of the article focuses on public policy on domestic violence and that she had a First Amendment right to weigh in on that subject. They also maintain that Depp did in fact abuse Heard.
ABUSE ALLEGATIONS
During the trial, Heard has described more than a dozen specific instances when she says Depp abused her, including her allegation that he sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle in an alcohol-fueled rage. Depp has denied any physical or sexual abuse, and says Heard concocted the claims to destroy his reputation. He’s also claimed that she physically attacked him on multiple occasions.
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