Johnny Depp V. Amber Heard: A Breakdown of the Ongoing Defamation Trial

etonline.com:

Johnny Depp is facing off against Amber Heard in a contentious legal battle, where new information is coming to light and new accusations are being leveled during each day of the trial.The libel lawsuit, which was first filed in 2019, kicked off on April 11, with opening statements the following day that set the tone for the tumultuous courtroom battle that was about to commence.

Depp's lawyers alleged that Heard was fabricating claims to cast her ex-husband in a bad light, and Heard's lawyers accused Depp of sexual violence during their marriage — among other claims.The lawsuit itself kicked off nearly six years after Heard first filed for divorce from Depp, on May 25, 2016, after 15 months of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

Days later, Heard was granted a temporary restraining order against Depp after an incident in which Heard claims Depp physically attacked her, which Depp has long denied.As part of their divorce, which was finalized in January 2017, Depp was ordered to pay Heard $7 million, which she chose to instead have donated to several charities.

But that would prove to be far from the end of the road for the former couple's legal sparring.With Depp's $50 million libel lawsuit in full swing, ET is breaking down what sparked the suit, and what has surfaced over the course of the courtroom battle.Depp first filed his libel lawsuit against Heard in March 2019, in response to an op-ed Heard wrote for the in December 2018 about being the victim of domestic violence.