Johnny Depp's Defamation Suit

Johnny Depp is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for $50 million after she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in support of the Violence Against Women Act that drew on her own experiences as a survivor of sexual assault and domestic abuse, reports Neda Ulaby for NPR. The issue is libel.

Ulaby writes that "the formerly married movie stars are squaring off in suburban courtroom near Washington, D.C." although "Heard's essay does not name specific perpetrators, it echoes claims against Depp the actress raised during their 2016 divorce."

Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are facing off in a defamation trial (Neda Ulaby - NPR)

In November 2020, Johnny Depp was involved in another high-profile libel case in the U.K. against the tabloid publication The Sun. Publishing an article in 2018 about Depp's relationship with his ex-spouse Amber Heard, the tabloid alleged that Depp was a "wife beater," writes Anastasia Tsioulcas for NPR. "In the British court case decided Monday, the judge found that what The Sun had published was substantially true, and that 12 of Heard's 14 allegations about episodes of physical assault were supportable," said Tsioulcas.

Johnny Depp Exits 'Fantastic Beasts' Days After Losing Libel Case (Anastasia Tsioulcas - NPR)

In developments during day three of the trial on Thursday, "a witness for the plaintiff in Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard was suddenly dismissed Thursday after admitting she had watched trial coverage," reported The Washington Post. With the witness admitting "she had seen some clips online and bits of witness testimonies," the judge "promptly excused her from the stand and said she would instruct the jury to strike her testimony," writes Emily Yahar.

Day 3 at Depp-Heard trial: Therapist testifies; a witness gets booted (Emily Yahr - Washington Post)