The jury in Johnny Depp’s trial against Amber Heard resumed deliberations after a long US holiday weekend on Tuesday to determine whether the actor was defamed by his estranged wife who allegedly suffered domestic abuse during their wedding.
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The seven jurors – five men and two women – began deliberating on Friday, at the conclusion of six weeks of proceedings in court in Fairfax, a small town in Virginia near Washington.
Johnny Depp, for his part, flew to the United Kingdom to participate, Sunday and Monday, in two concerts of British singer Jeff Beck in Sheffield and London.
Filmed live on television, the debates cast a harsh light on the common life of the two actors.
The star of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” saga is suing his ex-wife for defamation, who wrote in a column published by the Washington Post in 2018 to be “a public figure representing domestic violence”, without naming Johnny Depp.
He is seeking $50 million in damages, saying the platform destroyed his career and reputation.
Amber Heard, who appeared in particular in “Justice League” and “Aquaman”, counterattacked and asked for the double.
The 36-year-old actress claims to have exercised her right to freedom of expression by writing this column.
According to her, Johnny Depp’s complaint is “futile” and prolongs “the abuse and harassment” he subjected her to.
She accuses a former lawyer for the actor of having defamed him by claiming in the press that his allegations of domestic violence were “false”.
The jury must rule on both complaints and determine the amount of any damages.
Since April 11, the jury has heard dozens of hours of testimonies and audio or video recordings that have revealed the shocking details of their life together, far from the glamor of Hollywood, between 2011 and 2016.
The actress said that Johnny Depp became a “monster” under the influence of an explosive cocktail of drugs and alcohol and did not follow rehab.
After a final argument, during which Johnny Depp allegedly threw a phone in her face in May 2016, she had filed for divorce for domestic violence, after a little over a year of marriage.
But the 58-year-old actor said he never raised his hand to a woman and instead it was his wife who was violent.
The comedian has already lost a first defamation lawsuit in London in 2020, against the tabloid The Sun who called him a “violent husband”.
The two actors each claim to have lost between 40 and 50 million dollars in fees since the publication of the tribune.
