Actor Johnny Depp is suing his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County, Virginia, over a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Why Is the Johnny Depp Trial in Fairfax, Virginia?
Depp filed the suit in Fairfax County Circuit Court because the news outlet that ran the article, The Washington Post, “houses its printing press and online server in Fairfax County.” The Post is not named as a defendant in the case.
The 2018 article does not mention Depp by name, but Depp’s lawyers have argued he was defamed nevertheless because the article is a clear reference to abuse allegations Heard levied in 2016.
In the op-ed, Heard wrote that “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.”
Depp is suing for $50 million in damages and denies ever being physically violent with Heard. Heard is countersuing for $100 million and claims she was only ever violent with Depp in self-defense or defense of her younger sister.
Depp and Heard’s relationship began more than a decade ago, and the two split in 2016 after a brief marriage.
Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard has produced sensational headlines about allegations of violence and abuse from both sides. If you’re confused about what it all means, you’re not alone. Criminal defense attorney Joseph Tully explains the lawsuit and how it will be decided.
For Depp’s Virginia lawsuit to be successful, he not only needs to show that he was falsely accused, but he also needs to show that the op-ed piece — not Heard’s abuse allegations in 2016 when she filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order — caused damage, according to the Associated Press.
The trial is expected to take several weeks.
