After dominating the news during the summer of 2022 Channel 4 has released a new documentary which looks into the famous Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation trial in the US. Their defamation case was broadcast almost daily from Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, with millions of people across the globe tuning in to watch.
Johnny, at the time, was suing Amber for $50m over a Washington Post article she had written, titled: "I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change." The article did not mention Johnny by name but his lawyers said it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused Heard while they were together. The US trial came two years after a UK libel case when Depp lost his libel battle against News Group Newspapers over an article published in The Sun which branded him a "wife beater". Read more on that here.
The couple had met in 2009 on the set of the film The Rum Diary and reportedly started dating by the start of 2012, as The Manchester Evening News reports. They eventually married during a private ceremony in 2015, but Amber filed for divorce a year later.
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During the lengthy six-week US trial both parties accused the other of domestic abuse. Witnesses took to the stand, including family members, friends, colleagues, employees and other individuals including British supermodel Kate Moss, as well as both Johnny and Amber.
After 13 hours of deliberation the jury ruled in Johnny's favour, meaning he won the case. He was awarded compensatory damages of $10m (£8m) and a further $5m (£4m) in punitive damages. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.
Since the case Amber was originally going to appeal the verdict but ended up not doing this and settling with Johnny. She has now moved to Madrid with her two-year-old daughter, as The Daily Mail reports.
After the case, Johnny announced his UK tour with his band Hollywood Vampires and in May 2023 made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, where he said he no longer thinks of Hollywood. He said: "I don’t have much need of Hollywood, because it’s a weird time [there]. Everyone wants to be themselves, but they can’t, because they feel they have to fall in line.”
Depp V Heard continues on Channel 4 at 10pm on Monday, May 22. You can watch all three episodes on All4.
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