Actor Johnny Depp is poised to testify in a Virginia courtroom in the US defamation trial where he accuses ex-wife and actress Amber Heard of ruining his career with false accusations of violence during their relationship.
Depp, who is expected in court on Tuesday, alleges Heard defamed him when she penned a December 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse. He filed a $US50 million ($A68 million) lawsuit against Heard in 2018.
The article did not mention Depp by name, but his lawyer Benjamin Chew told jurors a week ago it was plain Heard was referencing the Hollywood star.
Lawyers for Heard have argued she told the truth and her opinion was protected as free speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment.
Witnesses called by Depp’s lawyers have included friends of the Pirates of the Caribbean star, and a doctor and nurse who said they treated him for substance abuse.
The witnesses testified they were aware of arguments between the couple but had not witnessed physical abuse.
“Their arguments were a trigger for him emotionally,” Debbie Lloyd, who worked as a nurse for Depp when he was engaged to Heard, said in a videotaped March 8 deposition played for the jury on Monday.
“They would cause him to be upset, add stress.”
When asked by a lawyer for Depp if she was aware of any of the arguments between Depp and Heard becoming physical, Lloyd replied, “No”.
The trial, which is in its second week, is expected to last for six weeks.
Less than two years ago, Depp lost a libel case against The Sun, a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater”.
A London High Court judge ruled the actor had repeatedly assaulted Heard and put her in fear for her life.
In the US case, Depp and Heard both submitted long lists of potential witnesses they could put on the stand.
Heard’s list includes her ex-boyfriend and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, with whom she texted about Depp. Also on the list of potential witnesses is actor James Franco.
The Washington Post is not a defendant in the case.
Depp’s lawyers have said they filed the case in Fairfax County, outside the District of Columbia, because the newspaper is printed at a facility there.
Depp and Heard met while making 2011 film The Rum Diary and married four years later.
Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse after filing for divorce in 2016.
Heard, known for roles in Aquaman and Justice League, has brought her own libel claim against Depp, saying he smeared her by calling her a liar.
Heard’s counterclaim will be decided as part of the trial. She is seeking $US100 million ($A136 million) in damages from Depp, according to court papers.
Following the November 2020 ruling in the London libel trial, Depp was replaced with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen in the third film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, a spin-off from the Harry Potter books and films.
