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A jury in Virginia is scheduled to hear opening statements Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp says Heard libeled him when she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp is never mentioned by name, but he says the article implicates him nonetheless because it refers to past accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him. Depp denies the abuse allegations.
MULTIPLE STARS COULD TESTIFY IN JOHNNY DEPP’S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT AGAINST AMBER HEARD
A supporter holds a poster outside the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse, before jury selection in the Johnny Depp defamation case against Amber Heard, in Fairfax, Virginia, April 11, 2022.
(Reuters/Sarah Silbiger)
A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court.
Heard’s lawyers had sought to have the case tried in California, where the actors reside. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post’s computer servers for its online edition are located in the county.
The trial is expected to last for more than a month. A lengthy witness list includes actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Some witnesses are slated to appear in person, while others are scheduled to appear via video link.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp arrive at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs, California, on Jan. 2, 2016.
(Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
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Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London on July 14, 2020.
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Opening statements begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Fairfax, Virginia, where Depp supporters rallied outside the courthouse Monday.