The close court case between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is coming to an end.
They sue each other for defamation, each claiming to have been abused by the other.
Here is a chronology of their relationship and some key moments in the current court case.
WARNING: This article contains disturbing content
2009: The former couple meets on set
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met while filming The Rum Diary in 2009. The film was released in 2011.
At the time, Depp was in a relationship with French actress Vanessa Paradis, with whom he has two children. Mrs. Heard came out as a bisexual in 2010 and was in a relationship with artist Tasya van Ree.
2012: Depp and Heard are in a relationship
Depp separated from Paradise after 14 years in 2012. According to court documents filed by Ms. Heard, Depp and Ms. Heard began dating “around the end of 2011 or early 2012.”
2014: The couple got engaged
Depp spoke about Mrs. Heard in an appearance on NBC’s Today, while confirming her commitment.
“She’s a wonderful girl,” he said, and said she was “as sweet as she can be and very good to me.”
2015: Depp and Heard get married; Pistol and Boo smuggled into Australia
Mr. Depp and Mrs. Heard were married in February 2015.
In July, Ms Heard was charged with smuggling the couple’s two dogs, Pistol and Boo, to Australia. He pleaded guilty to making a false customs declaration and later apologized in a video message, appearing next to Depp.
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2017: Depp and Heard divorce ends
Ms Heard filed for divorce in May 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
He received a restraining order against Mr. Depp, alleging that it was abusive throughout his marriage. Depp denies the allegations.
Ms. Heard received $ 7 million as part of her divorce settlement, which she said in a joint statement she would give to a charity.
In the statement, the couple said: “Our relationship was intensely passionate and sometimes volatile, but always linked by love.” Their divorce ends in January 2017.
2018: Depp files a lawsuit against The Sun; Published an opinion piece from the Washington Post
In April 2018, the British tabloid The Sun published an article in which Depp called a “handcuff”, and led him to file a lawsuit against the newspaper in June 2018.
In December, Ms. Heard put her name on a ghostly Washington Post opinion piece in which she did not name Mr. Depp, but in which she wrote, “Then, two years ago, I became in a public figure representing domestic abuse and I felt the full force of our culture’s anger at the women who speak. “
Depp sued Ms Heard for defamation in March 2019 over the article.
2020: Depp loses his case against The Sun.
In November 2020, a judge sided with The Sun, confirming 12 of the 14 alleged assaults of Mr. Depp against Ms Heard, and said “the vast majority of the alleged assaults” had been tried “on a civilian level”.
2022: Defamation trial begins
Actor Johnny Depp testifies during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Court. (AP: Jim Watson / Pool)
Depp is suing Ms. Heard for defamation and seeking a $ 50 million ($ 70 million) settlement. Ms. Heard is asking for $ 100 million ($ 140 million).
The trial began in April. Here are some key points:
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Depp has stated that he never hit Mrs. Heard or any other woman. He said Mrs. Heard was the one who abused him.
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There are different accounts of a 2015 fight in Australia, where Depp was filming the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Depp said Mrs. Heard threw a bottle of vodka that cut off the top of her middle finger. He said he used the blood from his wound to write on the wall. Heard denied injuring Mr. Depp and said in tears to the jury that Mr. Depp sexually assaulted her that night by inserting a bottle of liquor into her vagina.
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In court they were shown photos of Mrs Heard showing scars on her arm and swelling around her eyes. Images were also shown at the same time where no injuries were reported. Ms. Heard denied editing the photos showing bruises.
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Depp stated that excrement was found in the couple’s bed in 2016 and Mrs Heard told a security guard at the time that it was “a horrible practical joke that went wrong”. Heard denied any involvement and suggested that one of the couple’s dogs was responsible.
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Audio recordings were played in court in which Mrs. Heard admitted to beating Mr. Depp, but not beating him. Text messages were also posted in which Depp said Mrs. Heard was a “dirty bitch” and said she wanted her dead.
Actor Amber Heard says. (AP: Jim Lo Scalzo / Pool)
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A clinical and forensic psychologist hired by Mr. Depp said Ms. Heard had borderline histrionic personality disorders, but did not have post-traumatic stress disorder. Another clinical and forensic psychologist later testified that Ms. Heard does have PTSD as a result of the alleged “intimate partner violence” inflicted by Mr. Depp.
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Depp claimed to have lost lucrative film roles as a result of Mrs Heard’s allegations, but a number of witnesses claimed Mr Depp’s career was steadily declining before the Washington Post article was published. .
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A psychiatrist and witness at Ms Heard said Mr Depp’s behavior was consistent with narcissism.
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A judge denied a motion by Depp’s attorneys to dismiss Ms. Heard’s counterclaim against him.
ABC / Cables