Depp v heard II: Coming soon to a screen near you

Johnny Depp’s latest legal battle with his ex-wife will be televised next month. Expect tales of violence, chaos and Elon Musk.

New legal documents have offered a preview of how Johnny Depp’s second showdown with Amber Heard may play out, with much of the evidence from the London case set to make a return before the jury in Virginia. Picture: AFP

The Hollywood sequel of the year will be coming soon not to a cinema but a small screen near you. Johnny Depp’s second showdown with Amber Heard, his former wife, is scheduled to take place in an American courtroom next month, and promises to be a legal drama equal to anything a scriptwriter could muster - all performed in front of the camera.

Not only will Depp give evidence again, but a cast of powerful industry players, A-list actors and the world’s richest man have been pulled into the row between a couple whose battles have dragged on longer than their marriage.

The judge has ruled that cameras will be permitted in the courtroom for the proceedings to be partially broadcast.

Amber Heard at the first trial in the UK in 2020. Picture: Getty

The 58-year-old actor, who at his peak earned up to $101 million a film, is seeking redemption from a jury after losing a libel trial in London against The Sun.

Over weeks of evidence in the summer of 2020, Depp was depicted as a violent, washed-up drug taker. The judge found the label of “wife-beater” was “substantially true”. As a result Depp was fired from his role in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts and last year told The Sunday Times that he had since been boycotted by Hollywood.

The lawsuit in Virginia may represent a final chance of salvaging his career. He has sued the 35-year-old star of films including Aquaman for defamation over a column she wrote in 2018 for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse.

Depp’s name was not mentioned, but in his $67 million lawsuit he said that she was clearly writing about him. Heard has launched a $135 million counterclaim, accusing him of orchestrating a smear campaign against her.

Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor based in New York, said it was rare for civil cases to go to trial, with claims frequently settled beforehand.

However, cases that go all the way usually involve clients who are not motivated by money, rather by an urge to right a perceived wrong. Epner said: “From everything that he’s said, there’s no amount of money that she could give him that would cause him to walk away from this case, other than her publicly recanting and saying that he never abused her.”

Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 film The Rum Diary. They married in 2015 and divorced in 2017.

At the trial, which begins on April 11 and is scheduled to last for seven weeks, it will come down to which one of them the jury believes.

This photo shows Heard with what is claimed to be a bruise on her arm after an alleged incident in March 2013. Heard alleges she was attacked by Depp after laughing at his tattoo and when he allegedly tried to torch a painting. It was supplied by Amber Heard to the UK court. Picture: Supplied

New legal documents have offered a preview of how the proceedings may play out, with much of the evidence from the London case set to make a return before the jury in Virginia.

Witness lists for both sides have been published, revealing many of the same parties are involved. Depp’s includes the British actor Paul Bettany. Text messages between the two friends emerged during the first trial, revealing conversations about burning and drowning Heard.

Depp has also listed members of his security team who previously testified to seeing Heard attack the actor as well as a worker at his apartment building in Los Angeles who gave evidence in his favour.

On Heard’s list is Depp and his sisters Christi and Debbie.

Heard could also call on the actor James Franco and the business magnate Elon Musk, who are both listed as possibly giving live evidence via video link. Depp has accused Heard of having affairs with the men, which she denies.

Elon Musk with Amber Heard at Moo Moos Bar and Grill, Broadbeach, QLD 2017. Picture: Instagram

Heard’s 71-page exhibit list indicates that stacks of texts, emails, audio transcripts and journal entries are to be put before the jury. Of the more than 1,500 items, many refer to Depp’s alleged drug use. There are exhibits titled “Depp drugs (white powder lines on table)”, “Depp asleep” and “white powder lines, rolled bill, tube, credit card”.

There are at least 18 exhibits relating to a finger injury of Depp’s - in the first trial he said that Heard had thrown a vodka bottle at him, cutting the top of his finger.

Other images are labelled “Amber Heard - facial bruises”. Others include photographs entitled “broken bed”, “home destruction” and “spilled wine” while there are also images of Pistol and Boo, Heard’s dogs. The London trial was told of Depp’s claim that Heard or one of her friends had defecated in his bed, but she said that Boo, a Yorkshire terrier, was the culprit.

Evidence from an argument in May 2016 at Depp’s Los Angeles penthouse in which he is alleged to have hit Heard is listed, as are texts from the same month between the actress and Musk, whom she dated for a year.

It previously emerged that Musk had offered Heard “24/7 security” after she told him she wanted to obtain a restraining order against Depp.

The exhibits also include an email between JK Rowling and Depp.

Heard has so far failed to have the case thrown out and Depp is determined to have his day in court. But Dave Quast, of the crisis management firm Red Banyan, said: “Depp should focus on acting rather than giving the gossip sites more to write about and drawing more attention to something that has already led to major career repercussions.”

The Times