Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard: Depp sued Heard in December 2018 over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which she defined herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”On Tuesday, the jury in the contentious defamation trial between “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard adjourned without reaching a decision.
The seven-member jury will begin deliberations in Fairfax County Circuit Court, near the US capital, on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, the panel convened for seven hours and on Friday, it met for two hours.
The high-profile case’s closing arguments took place on Friday, following a six-week trial that included allegations and counterclaims of domestic abuse.
Over Memorial Day weekend, the 58-year-old Depp traveled to England and made surprise cameos at Jeff Beck concerts in Sheffield on Sunday and the Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday.
Depp, who is also a guitarist, fronts the Hollywood Vampires, which includes Alice Cooper and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.
Depp sued Heard in December 2018 after she penned an op-ed for The Washington Post in which she identified herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp sued Heard for indicating he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages. The Texas-born Heard, who had a major part in “Aquaman,” did not name Depp in the piece.
The jury was shown images of injuries purportedly sustained by Heard during their tumultuous relationship, as well as video and audio recordings of their intense, profanity-laced disputes.
A gruesome finger injury sustained by Depp while filming an installment of “Pirates” in Australia in March 2015 was the subject of hours of evidence.
When Heard threw a vodka bottle at Depp, he claimed the tip of a finger was severed. Heard stated that she had no idea how the injury happened.
Both agreed that Depp used the bloodied digit to scrawl inscriptions on walls, lampshades, and mirrors.
Heard claimed Depp would turn into a physically and sexually abusive “monster” during booze and drug-fueled binges, and that he ignored her repeated attempts to stop him.
Depp said that Heard was the one who was frequently violent and that listening to “outlandish” allegations of domestic abuse leveled against him was “brutal.”
“No human being is flawless, certainly none of us,” he stated, “but I have never committed sexual battery or physical assault in my life.”
In May 2016, Heard, who was married to Depp from 2015 until 2017, got a restraining order against him, citing domestic violence.
Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, sued the British tabloid The Sun for branding him a “wife-beater” in a libel suit filed in London. In November 2020, he was found guilty in that case.
Heard, 36, countersued for $100 million, claiming that he subjected her to “rampant physical violence and abuse.”
During the trial, Depp’s bodyguards, Hollywood executives, agents, entertainment business specialists, doctors, friends, and family all testified.
Hundreds of supporters of the “Pirates” actor attended the broadcast trial, which was supported by a #JusticeForJohnnyDepp social media campaign. Depp and Heard each spent days on the witness stand throughout the televised trial.