- All the information presented on this page is based on court documents, audiovisual material and statements of those involved.
- In any case we’ll use information not verified as true information.
- Parallel to the events, we’ll break down a series of particular conclusions that we have reached, only after having thoroughly analyzed all the information and having listened to every version.
- You can also contribute with your opinion or your conclusions in the comments, but remember to always do it with education and respect. We’ll only approve those reflections that meet these premises.
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Since Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met in 2009, their relationship was a bunch of ups and downs. Heard ended up accusing Depp of physical and psychological abuse and, after that, the British newspaper The Sun echoed the news, publishing an article in 2018 in which Depp was called “wifebeater”.
Because of said accusation, Depp decided to sue the newspaper for defamation. In the trial, taken place in London, Heard testified as a witness, along with a great number of people that were involved or witnessed the alleged incidents, who presented their statement of the events. Some of these witnesses, mostly Heard’s intimate friends, supported her version.
However, it exists a great number of witnesses that, like Depp, assure that the reality was very different to the one told by Heard, affirming that the real abuser was her. Heard is described by countless independent witnesses as a violent, selfish person that only looked for her own benefit, mainly economic, of her relationship with Depp.
Despite the numerous proofs presented against Heard, the judge that directed the case decided to agree with the newspaper The Sun and its article, claiming that what it affirmed was “substantially true”.
To face this punch, Depp and his legal team didn’t give up. Taking advantage of the fact that Heard had written an article for the Washington Post in which she talked about the abuse suffered during their marriage, this time they decided to sue her directly, also for defamation.
Now Depp and Heard face each other in a highly mediated trial, that takes place at Fairfax court (Virginia, United States) and in which not only both parties will face each other, but also the great amount of witnesses that were able to collect information and that will tell their vision of the story in first person.
Case #1
📍 Royal Courts of Justice, London (United Kingdom)
📆 2018 – 2021
👨🏼⚖️ JUDGE: Mr. Justice Nicol
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DAN WOOTTON
- June 2018:
JD sues Dan Wootton, CEO of the British newspaper The Sun, and the newspaper itself for an article in which they call him “wifebeater”. - AH testifies as a witness in favor of the defense (The Sun & Wootton), telling the alleged assaults that she suffered from JD.
- At the same time, JD’s lawyers collect a good number of proofs, experts’ reports and witnesses that support the opposite version: it was AH the one who physically and verbally abused JD for years.
- March 25, 2021:
The judge dismisses the demand presented by JD, ignoring all the proofs, claiming that what the article said was “substantially true”.
Case #2
📍 Fairfax Court (Virginia, USA)
📆 2019 – 2022
👩⚖️ JUDGE: Ms. Penney Azcarate
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- March 2019:
JD sues AH for an article that she writes in the Washington Post, in which she talks about the alleged violence suffered during their marriage. - Although AH makes sure she doesn’t name JD in her article, the context is clearly revealing.
- JD’s lawyers cling to it, as well as to the numerous audiovisual proofs, testimonies of experts and statements of witnesses that they had been collecting since the beginning of the previous trial.
- April 11, 2022:
The trial begins, which will be broadcasted live and is expected to last up to 6 weeks, parading through the doors of the court all those witnesses that will testify in person, as well as the involved parties.
Sources:
All the information that we detail in this section comes from the official documents published by the Court itself, as well as from the informative sources that cover the case. You will be able to find a list of them, with links to their platforms, at the end of the section of “Quién es quién”.