May 27 (Reuters) - Attorneys for Johnny Depp made their final arguments on Friday in the widely watched defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, telling jurors that Depp's career had been ruined by false accusations and appealing to them to restore his reputation.
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star, 58, sued Heard in Virginia for $50 million and argued that she defamed him when she called herself "a public figure representing domestic abuse."
Heard, 36, countersued for $100 million, saying Depp smeared her when his lawyer called her accusations a "hoax."
Depp has denied hitting Heard or any woman and said she was the one who turned violent in their relationship.
Attorney Camille Vasquez said Heard's allegations of abuse by Depp were "wild, over-the-top and implausible" and had ruined his reputation in Hollywood and among fans.
"We ask you to give Mr. Depp his life back by telling the world Mr. Depp is not the abuser Ms. Heard says he is," Vasquez said.
"What is at stake in this trial is a man’s good name," she told jurors. "Even more than that, what is at stake is a man’s life."
Heard's attorneys will deliver their closing arguments late Friday before the case goes to the seven-person jury to begin deliberations.
If jurors do not reach verdicts by Friday evening, they will reconvene on Tuesday, Judge Penney Azcarate said. Depp and Heard met in 2011 while filming "The Rum Diary" and wed in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized about two years later.
Over six weeks...
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