Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard
New allegations at the opening of the process
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were married from 2015 to 2017.
© BAKOUNINE/Shutterstock.com
In the opening speeches by the lawyers of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, both sides made heavy allegations.
For the second time it is currently in a court: Johnny Depp (58) against Amber Heard (35). After the lost defamation lawsuit against the newspaper “The Sun” in Great Britain, the US trial before the court in Virginia has now started. Depp is now directly suing his ex-wife for $50 million (€46 million) over an article she published in the Washington Post that spoke of domestic violence. In the opening speeches of the respective lawyers of the stars, serious allegations were made – especially against Depp.
Ben Rottenborn, Heard’s attorney, said in it, according to “People”that Depp’s violence against his client took “many forms” – including physical, psychological, emotional and verbal. But that’s not all: “Amber suffered sexual violence at the hands of Depp,” Rottenborn continues. “You’re going to hear about the violence she suffered in the most graphic and horrifying way. You’re going to hear it straight from her. She’s going to take the stand and tell you. It happened.”
This happened shortly before their marriage ended, when Depp was said to have been very drunk. He said he “abused and sexually assaulted Amber simply because she had the courage to confront him about his drinking.”
That’s what the other side says
Even Depp’s legal representative did not hold back with serious allegations in the opening speech. Heard shamelessly exploited the “false allegations” to advance her career as part of the #MeToo movement. She later added the allegation of sexual violence “out of panic” when she became aware of “the seriousness of her allegations” and wanted to continue staging herself as a “survivor”.
It is not clear how long the highly precarious process will drag on. Several US media are assuming that it could take up to six weeks before a verdict is reached. There are said to be almost 120 people on the list of possible witnesses alone, including Tesla boss Elon Musk (50) and the actors Ellen Barkin (67), Paul Bettany (50) and James Franco (43).