DAY 1: Depp v. Heard trial underway, attorneys argue abuse, manipulation from both parties

foxnews.com:

Attorneys representing "Sweeny Todd" actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, "Aquaman" actress Amber Heard, accused both parties of abuse and manipulation in their opening statements Tuesday during Depp's defamation trial against Heard.

Depp, 58, sued Heard, 35, for $50 million in 2019 over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post alleging she was the victim of domestic abuse.

She did not directly name Depp in the piece, which her legal team argues was within her rights to publish under the First Amendment, but Depp's lawyers suggested that readers knew the piece was about the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star anyway and therefore destroyed his career in Hollywood.

US actor Johnny Depp walks into the courtroom during the $50 million Depp vs Heard deformation trail at the Fairfax County Circuit Court April 12, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia.  (Brendan Smialowski / POOL / AFP) "The article isn't about Johnny Depp," but about "social change" and the First Amendment, Heard's attorney, Benjamin Rottenborn said during his opening statement in a Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom.