The defamation trial opposing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has entered its sixth week at the district court in Fairfax, Virginia, with closing arguments scheduled for this Friday.
Depp sued Heard, his ex-wife, for alleged defamation over an op-ed she wrote in 2018 in The Washington Post, titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” While Depp was not named in the op-ed, he claims her allegations made it difficult for him to land movie roles.
Heard countersued her ex-husband, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his own lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment.”
Heard testified on 4 and 5 May before the court entered a week-long break. Proceedings resumed with more testimony from Heard on 16 May before she stepped off the stand the following day.
Heard’s team will resume presenting their defence on 23 May, followed by a rebuttal from Depp’s team. Closing arguments are set for 27 May, after which the case will land in the hands of the jury.
Here’s how to watch the trial live:
The Independent’s YouTube channel
The Independent will have a livestream of the proceedings each day on ourYouTube channel.
Law & Crime Network
The Law & Crime Network is broadcasting the trial on its YouTube channel and on its website.
Court TV
Court TV is also broadcasting the trial on its YouTube channel and its website.
Sky News
Sky News is broadcasting the trial on its YouTube channel.
In her 2018 op-ed, Ms Heard partly wrote that “like many women, I had been harassed and sexually assaulted by the time I was of college age. But I kept quiet — I did not expect filing complaints to bring justice. And I didn’t see myself as a victim”.
“Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out,” she added at the time.
While Mr Depp isn’t named in the piece, his legal team argues that it contains a “clear implication that Mr Depp is a domestic abuser”, which they say is “categorically and demonstrably false”. Mr Depp is seeking damages of “not less than $50m”.
