British journalist Nick Wallis shared a video of the queue to get into Fairfax County Courthouse, Virginia, Monday (25 April) where Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard is underway.
The queue of public spectators hoping to witness the trial can be seen snaking around the building in Wallis’ video.
According to The Washington Post, 100 spectator wristbands are available from 7.00am each morning and are highly coveted with some people even offering to pay for others’ wristbands.
Monday (25 April) represents the beginning of the third week in Depp v Heard and the final day of Depp’s cross-examination in the case.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing Heard, who divorced Depp in 2016, for defamation over a 2018 op-ed in which she implied he had abused her. Depp is seeking $50m (£39m) in damages over The Washington Post column which, he alleges, impacted his Hollywood career directly.
Heard, in turn, has filed a counterclaim, accusing Depp of allegedly orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his own lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment”. She has asked for $100m (£78m) in damages, as well as immunity from Depp’s claims.
Depp has testified about a traumatic childhood with an abusive mother, claiming that his relationship with Heard mirrored that. He is also accusing her of “bullying” him.
The high-profile trial, currently being live-streamed on Court TV, has garnered significant attention on social media since it began on Tuesday (19 April) even leading to the production of unofficial merchandise.
Tesla boss Elon Musk and actor James Franco are both listed as potential witnesses for Heard, with both of them scheduled to appear via video conference if called to the stand.
Follow live updates from the trial here.
