Johnny Depp and Amber Heard arrive for start of three-week libel showdown
‘I’m NOT the monster she is making me out to be’: Johnny Depp denies EVER hitting estranged wife Amber Heard as Hollywood star insists SHE hit HIM on first day of explosive libel trial
- Johnny Depp was called as the first witness as he faced his estranged wife Amber Heard at the High Court
- Rejected claims he had been violent towards Heard, 38, but admitted drug taking had caused a ‘lot of pain’
- Depp is suing The Sun newspaper over claims he behaved ‘like a violent monster’ towards estranged wife
By Vivek Chaudhary and Rory Tingle For Mailonline
Published: 05:03 EDT, 7 July 2020 | Updated: 10:09 EDT, 7 July 2020
Hollywood star Johnny Depp today denied ever hitting his ex-wife Amber Heard as the Hollywood star insisted it was her who had been violent towards him during the first day of their explosive High Court libel trial.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 57, accused Heard, 38, of repeatedly punching him in the face and severing his finger by throwing a vodka bottle at him.
The Hollywood star branded accusations that he subjected her to ‘torture and other abuse’ as ‘sick’ and ‘completely untrue’.
Depp said he does not believe he has an ‘overbearing, manipulative or controlling personality’, and said Heard had an ‘obsessive need’ to control him.
In one of his witness statements filed as part of his libel case against The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), the actor said ‘rage-filled violent incidents on planes were common with Amber’.
Depp said the pair were on a private chartered flight in late 2014 or early 2015 when Heard became ‘verbally aggressive’.
He said she called him a ‘pussy’ and ‘spineless’ for ‘running away’ from fights with her. ‘Then she became physically violent and repeatedly punched me in the face. As I moved towards the back of the plane to get away from her, she followed me into the plane’s bedroom and punched me again in the face and the head.
‘I pushed her away from me, onto the bed. I then grabbed a pillow and locked myself in the bathroom, where I slept for the duration of the flight,’ he wrote in his statement.
‘Amber severed my finger with the second of two thrown vodka bottles at me in the early afternoon of Sunday March 8. Amber claims this was on the second day of a ‘three-day hostage situation’,’ he said.
In other developments during the dramatic opening session –
- Depp denied claims by Amber Heard’s lawyers that he had regularly attacked her when he was high or drunk;
- Insisted he was never violent, but admitted to trying ‘every drug under the sun’ from a ‘very young age’;
- The star spoke about the abuse he had suffered during his childhood, and said drugs helped deal with ‘pain’;
- He admitted to taking drugs with Marilyn Manson ‘twice’ and another time with Avengers star Paul Bettany;
- Recalled how friend River Phoenix tragically died of a heroin overdose at his nightclub in West Hollywood;
- Remembered ‘trashing’ hotel where he was staying with Kate Moss in 1994, landing him with a $10,000 bill;
- In 1999, said he assaulted photographers to protect then-partner, Vanessa Paradis, who was ‘very pregnant’;
- Also claimed Heard once told his former head of security, Mr Jerry Judge, that the actor was a ‘fat old man’ and ‘she did not know why she married me’;
- Meanwhile, Depp’s lawyer alleged that Heard had ‘two extra-marital affairs’ or ‘extra-relationship affairs’ with Elon Musk and James Franco.
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Amber Heard walked arm in arm with her sister, Whitney, (left) and lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, (right) as she arrived at the High Court today for the start of a three-week libel trial. In the white coat is her US attorney, Elaine Bredehoft
Depp wore a black bandanna face covering as he arrived at London’s High Court to fight claims he was a wife beater
This photo released by Depp’s lawyers shows him with a severed thumb after he was allegedly attacked by Amber Heard
Depp seen in an image drawn by a court artist as he was giving evidence from a witness box at the High Court in London today
Heard has not been pictured with her estranged husband for three years. She is pictured today with her sister, Whitney, and her girlfriend, Bianca Butti, who is seen on the right
Heard pictured with her entourage outside the entrance of the Royal Courts of Justice, which will host the momentous trial
Johnny Depp is suing News Group Newspapers, publishers of the Sun and executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article which referred to him as a ‘wife beater’.
It appeared under the headline ‘Gone Potty How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?’
Lawyers for the newspaper allege that his violent outbursts were driven by alcohol and drugs, which left Heard with injuries and in fear for her life. They maintain that this justifies their article.
Sasha Wass, QC, representing the newspaper listed a series of drugs she claimed the actor had been taking since his childhood, including cocaine, cannabis, LSD, alcohol, cannabis and prescription drugs.
Amber’s squad: Who are the key members of Heard’s High Court entourage?
Amber Heard’s girlfriend, Bianca Butti, 38, who she was pictured with this morning, is a cinematographer living in Los Angeles. The couple were first seen in public in May.
Last year, Miss Butti revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time, and bravely documented her struggles on an Instagram page, @buttibeatsit.
In a note on the page, Butti explained how she was first diagnosed with the disease in 2015 when she was just 34-years-old, and that it was confirmed to have returned in March 2019.
‘I was beyond devastated,’ she wrote on Instagram. ‘A new tumor appeared in my right breast, almost 3 years since I was declared cancer free.’
For the first diagnosis she underwent a traditional western treatment of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Now, after extensive research and personal experience, she has has decided to seek more alternative treatments.
Butti’s career as a cinematographer includes several episodes of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta that aired in 2013, the upcoming Bella Thorne movie Leave Not One Alive, the thriller Uncanny and a few other independent films and shorts.
Jennifer Robinson, who held Amber Heard’s hand as she walked into the High Court, is a leading human rights lawyer from Doughty Street chambers who also represents Julian Assange.
The Australian has appeared at the International Court of Justice and given expert evidence at the UN and in Parliament. Her areas of expertise are free speech and civil liberties, and she regularly advises newspapers on media law.
Elaine Bredehoft is serving as her American attorney to handle US aspects of the case. Licensed in Virginia, Miss Bredehoft specialises in defamation law and has been included in The Best Lawyers in America periodical every year since 1997.
Amber Heard was also accompanied to court by her younger sister, Whitney. The siblings grew up together in Austin, Texas, and are known to have a close relationship.
Their father, David Clinton Heard, owned a small construction company while their mother, Patricia Paige (nee Parsons) worked as an Internet researcher.
The lawyer spent the entire morning grilling the actor over his notorious drug taking, which she claimed changed his character and made him violent.
Asked about his interest in drugs, the actor claimed he enjoyed learning about ‘the counter-culture’ and followed in the footsteps of his ‘literary heroes.’
The actor said: ‘I’ve always been interested in the counter-culture and many literary heroes of mine* have been opium users. It has been a subject that I have learned about.
‘Hunter S. Thompson was an idol of mine. I believe he has a very famous quote that says I don’t condone the use of drugs or alcohol to anyone but they’ve always worked for me.’
‘Have you ever taken drugs with Marilyn Manson?’ the lawyer asked. ‘Yes,’ Depp replied. ‘Twice, maybe.’
After admitting that he had regularly taken ‘every drug known to man’, Depp replied: ‘My experience of alcohol and stimulants began at a very young age. It was not a particularly stable or safe home life, there was a lot of unpleasantness in the house.’
He added: ‘I remember my mother used to ask me to get her nerve pills. Around the age of 11 it dawned on me that these pills calm your nerves and I brought them home and took one. That began what was the only way to numb the pain.’
The Sun’s lawyers and Heard allege that drugs and alcohol turned Depp into a ‘monster.’
Ms Wass claimed: ‘We see you now very charming, polite and softly spoken but there’s another side of you Mr Depp that’s less charming? There’s a nasty, angry side to your character.’
Depp replied: ‘I’m well aware that there’s been a lot of pain the way I was raised. When you are trying to figure out what it’s all about, when success and notoriety and all these things come to you and you don’t quite understand why you have them and you don’t feel very worthy, it’s very confusing.’
Depp denied that he had a tendency towards ‘destructive and violent’ behaviour or that he had problems managing his anger.
It came as the High Court today was told of explosive recordings of Heard shouting at Depp in 2015.
Depp’s barrister David Sherborne read an extract from a tape in which Heard said to her husband: ‘You got hit… but I did not punch you. I did not f****** deck you. I f****** was hitting you’.
Heard, 34, then went on to say ‘you are a f****** baby’, to which 57-year-old Depp said: ‘Because you start physical fights.’ Heard replied: ‘You are such a baby. Grow the f*** up.’
Depp explained that both he and Heard recorded conversations during their relationship.
In her witness statement, Heard had said that she recorded their conversations ‘to remind Johnny of what he would do when using drugs and alcohol because he wouldn’t remember, or deny what he had said’.
But Depp said that was not correct, telling the court that Heard’s later recollection of their conversations would sometimes be ‘radically different’.
He added: ‘I, at the time, thought that the best thing to do was to record the conversation, so I retrieved my telephone and brought it to where we were talking and I said, ‘I’m going to record this conversation’, just so that she knew. I wanted it to be out in the open.’
Heard was wearing a red scarf as a face covering. In this photo her sister, Whitney is on the left, and Bianca Butti on the right
Heard is seen arriving at the High Court (far right). Wearing the black face mask is her current girlfriend, Bianca Butti
It is estimated that the trial is costing Depp and NGN around £1milllion each in legal fees. Heard (pictured today) will be The Sun newspaper’s star witness
Depp – pictured today – is suing The Sun and its executive editor Dan Wootton over allegations the actor behaved like a ‘violent monster’ towards his former wife during their troubled two-year marriage
Depp – middle – was accompanied by a bodyguard and several minders as he walked through the press pack into the High Court
It is estimated that the trial is costing Depp and NGN around £1milllion each in legal fees. Pictured is Depp arriving this morning
Both Depp and Heard (pictured), who haven’t been seen together for three years, are set to attend each day of the trial
Depp is suing The Sun newspaper for calling him a wife beater in an article in April 2018.
In his written opening remarks today, his lawyer David Sherborne said that one of the issues the court needs to decide is ‘whether the allegations published by the defendants are true’.
‘If it finds that they are untrue, as we say they are, then the court will proceed to make an award of damages,’ he said.
‘It will come as no surprise to hear that this is not a case about money. It is about vindication. Mr Depp has made that clear at various hearings. That is why he has come here – to clear his reputation.’
Who will be called to give evidence? Johnny Depp’s exes Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis will make statements at High Court
Vanessa Paradis is one of Depp’s former partners. She insists he was never abusive towards her
Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis is a French singer, actress and model who shot to fame aged just 14 with the song Joe Le Taxi.
She has been a spokesmodel for Chanel for many years and appeared in a number of films, alongside continuing her singing career.
Ms Paradis, 47, was in a relationship with Depp for around 14 years from around 1998. The couple’s daughter, Lily-Rose, is also now pursuing a career as an actress.
Ms Paradis is due to give evidence at the trial, having given a witness statement in which she described her former partner as a ‘kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father’.
Winona Ryder is also due to give evidence at the High Court trial
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is also due to give evidence at the High Court trial as part of his case against News Group Newspapers (NGN).
Ms Ryder was in a relationship with Depp during the early 1990s, and the pair appeared together in Edward Scissorhands.
Depp famously tattooed Winona Forever on his arm. After the couple split, he reportedly changed it to Wino Forever.
Dan Wootton has been The Sun’s Executive Editor since March 2018
Dan Wootton
New Zealand-born Dan Wootton has been The Sun’s Executive Editor since March 2018. The article at the heart of Johnny Depp’s libel claim was written by Mr Wootton for his weekly column in the newspaper.
Mr Wootton also presents the weekday Drivetime show on talkRadio and has his own podcast – The Dan Wootton Interview.
A showbiz reporter for many years, before joining The Sun, Mr Wootton had stints at a number of newspapers and magazines, including the Daily Mail, where he also worked as a columnist, and the now defunct News Of The World, where he was Showbiz Editor.
He was also showbiz presenter for ITV’s Lorraine show for 10 years.
Depp’s other ex-partners, actress Vanessa Paradis and Hollywood star Winona Ryder, have leapt to his defence to say they never experienced any domestic violence.
Hishigh-powered legal team accuse Heard of making up her claims, and say she assaulted the actor. Heard – who will be newspaper’s star witness – claims Depp hit and choked her while in the grip of addictions to drugs and alcohol.
In Australia in 2015, she outlined a ‘three-day ordeal of physical assault’ in which her injuries included a broken lip, swollen nose and cuts all over her body, allegedly after Depp took out a bag of MDMA (ecstasy).
Amber Heard says Depp slapped and shoved her, and he stayed up all night taking drugs and boozing, and the next day he ‘grabbed her by the neck’.
She also says that night he repeatedly shoved her up against the refrigerator in the kitchen, grabbed her by the neck, and ‘slammed her against the counter-top and strangled her’.
Heard has hired barrister Jennifer Robinson, a leading human rights lawyer from Doughty Street chambers who also represents Julian Assange, to advise her.
She is sitting beside her in court and has been spending several hours each day preparing her for the witness box since she arrived in Britain from her home in California last week.
An insider said: ‘They’re both going to spend a long-time giving evidence and their credibility as witnesses is what the whole case rests on.
Lawyers from both camps have been working them hard to ensure that they get all their points across and are consistent in what they say.
‘They’re bracing themselves for a grilling and once they take the stand, the lawyers are going to pick holes in their testimony.
Giving evidence is going to be challenging for both of them and the trial is going to be a real-life Hollywood blockbuster.’
It is estimated that the trial is costing Depp and NGN around £1milllion each in legal fees.
The months leading up to the trial have resulted in a serious of sensational allegations being made public as both sides argued during pre-trial hearings over material that could or could not be made public.
During one hearing, it was revealed that Depp sent texts during his relationship with Heard saying he would ‘drown’ and ‘burn’ his wife then ‘f*** the corpse.’
NGN lawyers have been wading through 70,000 texts, some of which will be submitted as evidence to show that Depp was violent towards Heard.
In another hearing, Depp’s lawyer alleged that Heard had ‘two extra-marital affairs’ or ‘extra-relationship affairs’ with Elon Musk and James Franco while she was going out with or was married to Depp. Both men have denied the claims.
The High Court hearing will also hear details of a 2015 trip to Australia by Depp and Heard during which he sent messages asking for drugs, according to the Sun’s lawyers.
They will also allege that he waged a ‘three-day ordeal of physical assaults’ on Heard and ‘held her hostage’ while they were in the country.
Depp is also suing Heard for $50m in the US over a column she wrote in the Washington Post in which she described herself as a ‘domestic abuse’ victim.
Although Depp was not named in the column, he claims it defamed him.
His libel claim against the Sun could have a major impact on the outcome of the American hearing.
The UK case was due to start in March but was delayed by the coronavirus crisis. With lockdown easing, it is one of the first high-profile cases to go ahead at the Royal Courts of Justice.
The trial will hear claims that Depp waged a ‘three-day ordeal of physical assaults’ on Heard and ‘held her hostage’ while they were in the country
The US actress with her sister Whitney (left) and lawyer, Jennifer Robinson (right) as they approached the press pack this morning
Depp wore aviator-style sunglasses and a black bandanna over his face. The actor had another pair of glasses tucked in his jacket pocket
Depp gestures towards photographers who had gathered outside the court from the early hours for the blockbuster trial
Battle of Britain’s top barristers: The two UK heavyweight lawyers going head-to-head in Depp vs Heard libel trial
As lead counsel for Johnny Depp, David Sherborne will take centre stage at the High Court in the coming weeks.
Mr Sherborne has a growing reputation as the barrister the rich and famous turn to for legal assistance – his current client list also includes the Duchess of Sussex, who he is representing in her privacy action against Associated Newspapers.
He has also represented dozens of claimants, including celebrities, suing New Group Newspapers (NGN) over phone hacking at the News Of The World.
On The Sun’s side will be, Adam Wolanski QC, a specialist in defamation in media law.
Mr Wolanski is no stranger to high profile trials and in 2018 served as junior counsel for Sir Cliff Richard in his privacy claim against the BBC.
He also represented The Sun in Labour MP Richard Burgon’s libel claim against the newspaper. Mr Wolanski, who took silk in 2019, is a specialist in media law.
Unlike recent cases, today’s trial is not being held over video conferencing, but in the courtroom in person, with the Hollywood stars taking their turns in the wood-panelled witness box.
Heard, who lives in LA, had to arrive in the UK a fortnight ago to comply with the UK’s quarantine rules. Depp has been staying in Paris.
To maintain social distancing, five courtrooms have been set aside for the case.
The press and public are allowed to watch proceedings from adjacent courtrooms on a video feed from Court 13.
Mr Justice Nicol has previously ruled that parts of Heard’s evidence, relating to allegations of sexual violence, will be heard in private.
In pre-trial hearings, Depp’s barrister David Sherborne said his client denies that he has ever hit any woman.
Heard met Depp on the set of 2011 comedy The Rum Diary and they married in LA in 2015. They divorced in early 2017, with Heard receiving a £5.3million settlement out of Depp’s reputed £400million fortune.
In a hearing last week, it was claimed that text messages showing Depp begging his assistant for ‘happy pills’ and ‘whitey stuff’ – which lawyers claim meant ecstasy and cocaine – were sent just days before he allegedly assaulted his wife.
Today’s trial – which Heard is seen outside (in the red face mask with her girlfriend, Bianca Butti, on her left behind the security guard) will be heard by a judge alone with no jury
Heard holds her sister Whitney’s hand outside court. The siblings grew up together in Austin, Texas, and are known to have a close relationship
Johnny Depp’s childhood of taking ‘every drug under the sun by 14’… getting high with Marilyn Manson and River Phoenix – and smashing up a hotel room causing £10k damage with Kate Moss
The court heard Johnny Depp has ‘anger problems’ as he admitted expressing himself through destructive behaviour and spoke of his hedonistic lifestyle.
Sasha Wass QC, asked him about his meteoric rise to fame and wild partying as she cross-examined the Hollywood star on behalf of NGN.
Ms Wass read from a statement from Depp’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas co-star Ellen Barkin telling how he became ‘out of control’ on drink and drugs.
The actor laid bare his extensive substance use, telling how he partied with Marilyn Manson and had dabbled in ‘every drug’ by the time he was 14.
He recalled the night young starlet River Phoenix tragically died of a heroin overdose at the famous Viper Room nightclub he owned in West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip.
Depp – pictured today – has been on the Hollywood A-list for more than 30 years, becoming a household name for such characters as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Caribbean and Edward Scissorhands
The Pirates of the Carribean actor said his introduction into drugs began when his mother asked him to pick up her ‘nerve pills’ and he took one.
‘My mum would tell me to go and get her nerve pills and I took one and I found what to me was the only way to numb the pain,’ he claimed.
‘You found fame and fortune at an early age in your life didn’t you?’ Ms Wass asked Depp.
‘Yes, at an early stage my life changed radically,’ he replied.
Asked about his interest in drugs, the actor claimed he enjoyed learning about ‘the counter-culture’ and followed in the footsteps of his ‘literary heroes.’
The actor said: ‘I’ve always been interested in the counter-culture and many literary heroes of mine* have been opium users. It has been a subject that I have learned about.
‘Hunter S. Thompson was an idol of mine.
‘I believe he has a very famous quote that says I don’t condone the use of drugs or alcohol to anyone but they’ve always worked for me.’
‘Have you ever taken drugs with Marilyn Manson?’ the lawyer asked.
‘Yes,’ Depp replied.
‘Twice, maybe.’
Ms Wass said: ‘River Phoenix was a young actor who collapsed and died in your club.’
Depp, wearing a dark suit and white shirt, was called as the first witness in the high-profile trial. He is pictured here outside the court before the hearing began
Depp replied: ‘He passed away on the sidewalk just inside my club, yes.
‘From what I understand River began to feel unpleasant, he began to sweat and he went out of the door and once out of the door he collapsed.’
Ms Wass said: ‘You’re surrounded I suggest by people who will never really say no to you.
‘They will do anything you ask including supplying drugs to you.’
The actor replied; ‘No. There are people who work for me and work with me.’
Depp claimed he had suffered pain from feeling unworthy of his celebrity status when questioned about a ‘nasty, angry side to his character.’
‘We see you now as very charming and polite and softly spoken, but there’s another side to you Mr Depp that isn’t so charming,’ the lawyer said.
‘I’m afraid that wouldn’t be for me to judge,’ he said
Ms Wass said: ‘You are aware that there’s a nasty, angry side to your character.’
Depp replied: ‘I’m well aware that there has been quite a lot of pain.
‘When you don’t feel in your heart worthy, it’s a very confusing thing because you have become a product and your name no longer sounds the way it did when you were growing up because it becomes a product.
‘Even when I speak my own name it sounds foreign to me.’
Heard and Depp attending the Art of Elysium’s 9th annual Heaven Gala at 3LABS in Culver City, California on January 9, 2016
The court heard Depp had wrecked a New York hotel room in 1995 causing $10,000 worth of damage while his then-girlfriend, understood to have been Kate Moss, was present.
‘Why did you trash this room?’ Ms Wass asked.
‘It had been a particularly bad couple of days and that day turned out to be the… apex of an unpleasant time,’ Depp replied.
‘I asked you a little while earlier, I asked you if you thought you had problems with anger management?’ the lawyer asked.
‘I don’t. I was angry, doesn’t mean I have anger problems. I was expressing my anger,’ Depp responded.
‘Right, so just so we’re speaking the same language, you express your anger through destructive behaviour?’ Ms Wass said.
‘I have at times in my life,’ Depp replied.
‘Yes, and this was not the only time by any means was it?’ the QC asked.
‘No,’ came the reply.
‘I also express myself by laughing, I don’t have a humour problem.’
Asked what had thrown him into such a rage that he caused $10,000 worth of damage, he said: ‘I had a friend who had been a friend for a very long time and he had for lack of a better word screwed me over if you will.’
‘And your then-girlfriend was there. Did you consider at the time she might be rather frightened by that?’ the lawyer asked.
‘She was in the bedroom asleep,’ Depp claimed.
‘She slept through the whole thing?’ Ms Wass asked.
‘Yes,’ Depp replied.
Reading from an interview about the incident, Ms Wass said: ‘It says after a spat with his then-girlfriend. What was all that about? The suggestion of the interviewer is that you had a spat with your girlfriend.’
‘That was the assumption of the media at the time because it makes for better press doesn’t it, but rather than assaulting a human being I assaulted a couch,’ Depp replied.
Ms Barkin, who was asked whether Depp’s behaviour ‘seemed out of control’ while she gave evidence in a separate US libel trial Depp has brought against Ms Heard, said: ‘He threw a wine bottle across the hotel room in Las Vegas while we were shooting Fear and Loathing.’
When asked if his behaviour changed when he used drink and drugs, the court heard Ms Barkin had said: ‘He was not the same, he was high.’
How the star-studded relationship between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp fell apart amid claims of violence and abuse
Johnny Depp’s high-profile libel claim against the publisher of The Sun is over allegations he was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard during their relationship – claims the Hollywood star vehemently denies.
The pair met in around 2011 on the set of The Rum Diary, a film adaption of a novel by Depp’s friend Hunter S Thompson, before they started living together in around 2012.
Here is a timeline of the key events in their relationship and the bitter legal battle that has ensued.
2013
– March 8: Depp allegedly tries to set fire to a painting by Heard’s ex-partner Tasya van Ree before he is said to have attacked her for the first time, which the actor denies.
2015
– February 3: The couple marry in a private ceremony at their home in Los Angeles.
– March 3-5: The key incident in The Sun’s defence, the three-day trip to Australia has been described by Heard as a ‘three-day hostage situation’ in which Depp was allegedly physically and verbally abusive while drinking heavily and taking drugs.
Depp denies the allegations and says Heard lost her temper after a conversation about a post-nuptial agreement.
– April 21: The couple arrive in Australia with their pet Yorkshire Terriers Boo and Pistol, which they did not declare to customs officials in Queensland. Heard was charged later with bringing the dogs into the country illegally – the charges were later dropped and the pair later recorded a bizarre video apologising for bringing their dogs to Australia.
2016
– Around May 22: The pair separated, Heard claims after an incident at their LA penthouse in which Depp allegedly became very angry and destroyed property with a bottle of champagne.
– May 23: Heard files petition for the dissolution of their marriage.
– May 27: Heard applies for a temporary domestic violence restraining order, which prevents Depp from contacting her.
– August 16: The estranged couple reach an agreement concerning the dissolution of their marriage. Heard later donates her seven million US dollar (£5.5 million) settlement to charity.
2017
– January 13: The couple are formally divorced.
2018
– April 27: The column by The Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton is published online at around 10pm. Under the headline ‘Gone Potty – How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?’, Mr Wootton asked if the Harry Potter author had been ‘blinded by a personal friendship’ with Depp.
The piece also quoted two alleged victims of disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, which Depp says was included to ‘finish his career’.
– April 28: The following day, the online article is amended to remove the words ‘wife beater’ from the headline, which was not included in the print edition.
– June 1: Depp files claim his libel against News Group Newspapers. His written claim, filed a few weeks later, claims the article ’caused serious harm to (his) personal and professional reputation’ and also caused him ‘significant distress and embarrassment’.
– December 18: The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by Heard which did not mention Depp by name, but said that the actress ‘became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out’.
2019
– February 27: Depp fights off a bid to halt his English legal action after The Sun applies for his claim to be ‘stayed unless and until’ the star confirmed in writing that he would not sue Heard if she participated in a forthcoming trial.
– March 1: Depp files a libel case against Heard in Virginia, blaming the Washington Post piece for Depp being dropped from the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and claiming that Heard was the one who had been abusive towards him.
2020
– February 26: Johnny Depp attends the High Court in London for a preliminary hearing ahead of a trial which was due to begin the following month. The star heard NGN’s barrister Adam Wolanski read out texts sent by Depp, including one from November 2013 to actor Paul Bettany, in which Depp wrote: ‘Let’s burn Amber.’
He also wrote: ‘Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead.’
– March 20: The trial, which was due to begin on March 23, is postponed due to the global coronavirus crisis. NGN’s lawyers had claimed Depp wanted to delay the trial ‘because he’s a coward and because he knows he’s going to lose’, which was denied by Depp’s legal team.
– April 8: Mr Justice Nicol rules that parts of Heard’s evidence, relating to allegations of sexual violence, will be heard in private.
– May 13: The court gives permission for Depp’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder – who both say Depp was ‘never violent’ to them – to give evidence. Heard’s former personal assistant Kate James is also permitted to give evidence.
– June 25: NGN asks the court to throw out Depp’s claim just two weeks before trial over the star’s failure to disclose text messages of him apparently trying to buy drugs in Australia in 2015. The publisher’s lawyers say Depp deliberately withheld text messages they say show him trying to obtain ‘MDMA and other narcotics’.
– June 29: Mr Justice Nicol rules that Depp did breach a court order by not disclosing documents from separate libel proceedings against Heard in the US – which include the text messages. But Depp’s lawyers argue that it would be ‘wholly disproportionate’ to strike out the actor’s libel claim.
– July 2: The High Court rules Depp’s claim can go ahead after granting his application for ‘relief from sanctions’ for the breach of a court order.
– July 4: The trial judge, Mr Justice Nicol refuses an application by Depp’s lawyers to exclude Heard from court until she gives evidence.
– July 7: The three-week trial finally begins at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, with witnesses set to include Depp’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder as well as several of Heard’s friends who say they were present when Depp was abusive.
