Five things to know about the Johnny Depp trial

A $50 million defamation trial between actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, is underway after starting earlier this month.

At the crux of the trial is whether Heard committed libel against her former husband in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote, in which she describes herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse” and shared that she had been sexually assaulted and harassed. 

The couple divorced in 2016 and Heard also filed for a restraining order. The development came after Los Angeles police responded to Depp’s home in Los Angeles over a domestic dispute, though no evidence of wrongdoing was concluded by police, the Post reported.

In her op-ed, which does not mention Depp by name, she writes, “I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”

“Friends and advisers told me I would never again work as an actress — that I would be blacklisted. A movie I was attached to recast my role. I had just shot a two-year campaign as the face of a global fashion brand, and the company dropped me,” she continues. “Questions arose as to whether I would be able to keep my role of Mera in the movies ‘Justice League’ and ‘Aquaman.’”

Depp, who has claimed he did not abuse his ex-wife, alleges that Heard’s op-ed references allegations she made in 2016 against him, and therefore, indirectly defames him.

With the trial already underway, here’s a look at five things to know about Depp and the trial.

Depp says he’s never struck a woman

During Depp’s testimony, he asserted that he had never “struck any woman in my life.”

“Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way nor have I ever struck any woman in my life,” the actor said, according to CNN.

In court documents filed in 2019, which sought to dismiss Depp’s lawsuit against Heard, the filings alleged that the actor “regularly abused Amber Heard – both physically and emotionally – throughout much of their relationship.” 

The court documents claimed that most of the incidents took place when Depp was either high, drunk or a combination of the two at their home in Los Angeles or while traveling outside of the country, leading the actress to file for a divorce and restraining order against Depp.

“The characterization of my ‘substance abuse’ that’s been delivered by Ms. Heard is grossly embellished,” Depp told jurors, according to The Associated Press. “And I’m sorry to say, but a lot of it is just plainly false. I think that it was an easy target for her to hit.”

Depp alleges his mother was abusive

Depp also asserted during his testimony that his mother was abusive and that his father left their family.

“She was quite cruel,” Depp said of his mother, according to Vulture, adding “there was physical abuse … which could be in the form of an ashtray being flung, it hits you in the head, or you get beat with a high-heeled shoe or telephone, whatever’s handy.”

Depp said he considered his father’s abandoning the family “sneaky, cowardly,” according to Vulture. 

The actor also claimed that, when he was a child, he started using “nerve pills” prescribed for his mother, according to the AP.

Depp lawyer concedes actor’s name not featured in op-ed

A lawyer for the actor conceded during the trial that Depp’s name is not mentioned in Heard’s op-ed but claimed “it didn’t have to.”

“Everyone in Hollywood knew exactly what she was talking about,” attorney Benjamin Chew said, according to the AP.

J. Benjamin Rottenborn, an attorney for Heard, claimed during opening statements that Depp’s reputation was not damaged by the column and that “this man’s poor choices have brought him to this point.”

“Stop blaming other people for your own self-created problems,” Rottenborn continued, according to the AP.

Depp compares himself to Cinderella, hunchback of Notre Dame

The actor claimed during his testimony that he had suffered a fall from grace after Heard accused him of abuse, comparing his plight to that of Cinderella.

“It’s very strange when one day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, and then in 0.6 seconds you’re Quasimodo,” Depp told jurors, saying “it’s been six years of trying times,” according to the AP.

The actor claims that he was booted from further films with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise following Heard’s allegations, though he also admitted during the trial he had not seen the first film of the series, CNN noted.

Depp describes Heard as “too good to be true”

The actor described Heard as “too good to be true” and spoke fondly of the beginning of their relationship.

“She was attentive, she was loving, she was smart, she was kind, she was funny, she was understanding. We had many things in common,” Depp said, according to CNN.

Once they started dating, he recounted how he became closer to Heard’s parents, including her mother, whom he called an “angel,” according to Vulture. 

He claimed that “things started to reveal themselves” later on.