Johnny Depp and Amber Heard star in a legal drama about the breakdown of their volatile marriage. The script is ugly, the tricks are unpredictable, and the lighting is dazzling.
Charges and counterclaims against domestic abuse, manipulation, obsession, drug and alcohol abuse constitute a fierce defamation lawsuit in a court in Fairfax, Virginia.
Married for only 3 years, Depp and Heard know how to act even though they sit 15 feet apart, have lawyers and a deep grudge against each other.
In 2018, Depp accused Heard of writing an opinion piece on the Washington Post that slandered him as a domestic abuser.
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Depp sued Heard for $50 million, showing that the actor, who was effectively blacklisted by Hollywood, thought he had nothing to lose.
Depp, 58, accused Heard, 35, of domestic violence charges “with the aim of shocking people” and “manipulating” the #MeToo movement. Jurors heard she had started the fight.
In a $100 million countersuit, Heard’s lawyers said Depp was a “revenge-obsessed ex-husband” who punched, kicked and sexually assaulted his wife with a vodka bottle.
Last year, the Kentucky-born actor lost a defamation lawsuit against “The Sun” when a British High Court judge ruled that Depp’s beating of his Texas-born ex-wife was “substantially true.”
But this American sequel following the events of London is markedly different in character.
Hollywood had come to the Virginia suburbs, most Depp fans were allowed into the courtroom, and millions watched the proceedings live.
In addition to the plaintiffs and defendants — Depp and Heard — James Franco, Paul Bettany and Elon Reeve Musk are all on Judge Penny Azcarat’s list.
They will be joined by the staff, friends, doctors and psychotherapists at Ascarat’s court, who have given Ascarat’s court a Hollywood veneer.
In the face of daily attacks on her character and motives, Heard has remained calm and composed. Depp also presents himself strategically.
On the second day of the trial, Kate James, who served as Heard’s assistant from 2012 to 2015, called Heard “a true Southern gentleman”.
A week after the seven-week trial began, Depp invited witnesses to support his defamation charges, only to set the stage for his later testimony.
It’s up to the actor to portray his ex-wife as a conspirator rather than the victim of his abuse, as she claims.
Heard’s alleged defamation “follows a pattern of her carefully crafted, false claims that have changed and evolved over time to reach the Hollywood shock value that Amber has mastered,” Heard’s representatives said. value and use it to exploit a serious social movement.”
If Heard and Depp both have a family history of domestic violence, both parties will have to agree to waive the privacy of relationship counsellor Dr Laurel Anderson.
Anderson said Depp was “in control” before meeting Heard. With Lady Heard, he was touched. Their behavior seems to me to be mutually abusive. “
She said on more than one occasion Heard had caused trouble to prevent Depp from leaving because he was afraid of being dumped.
For Heard, it’s her pride to start a fight if she doesn’t feel respected. If he’s going to leave her and de-escalate the fight, she’ll hit him and leave him there. She would rather go to the fight and leave him there. “
Depp’s legal strategy has been to expose his weaknesses, defamation lawyers in the United States say.
“Obviously these two bring what sounds like a baggage to the marriage. So our strategy is not to gain sympathy, but to let the jury know who is more likely to be the abuser, her or him.” New York defamation attorney Kimberly Liu said.
Determining that Depp was provoked does not in itself justify the abuse. “Depp must refute the allegations that he was an abuser in order to prove his claims are false,” Andy said. “Provoking provocation could damage the other party’s credibility.”
Depp will testify before Heard has a chance to present his views to the jury.
Hollywood lawyer and commentator Alison Hope Weiner said: “Amber Heard is not the star of the show, even though she might want to be.”
“When he testifies, it’s him. It’s going to be a tough show to keep up with.”
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