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Hollywood stars Amber Heard and Johnny Depp are up for another court battle this week after Depp sued his ex-wife alleging she defamed him in an op-ed. The trial opened with jury selection Monday and a slew of celebrities are listed as potential witnesses.
Opening statements begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Fairfax, Virginia, where Depp supporters rallied outside the courthouse Monday.
Depp sued Heard in 2019 for $50 million over an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post alleging she was the victim of domestic abuse. She never identified Depp directly in the piece, but wrote that she is "a public figure representing domestic abuse."
Supporters of actor Johnny Depp stand outside the Fairfax County Courthouse, Monday, April 11, 2022 in Fairfax, Va. Jury selection has begun in a long-anticipated libel lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Depp’s lawyers say the article falsely implies she was physically and sexually abused by Depp when the actors were married.
JOHNNY DEPP SAYS HOLLYWOOD IS BOYCOTTING HIM IN FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE DEFAMATION CASE LOSS
Depp previously filed a similar lawsuit in England against a newspaper there and lost after the judge there determined that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in fear for her life on multiple occasions.
The witness list for this trial includes actors such as James Franco and Paul Bettany, as well as billionaire Elon Musk. Representatives from the ACLU, Los Angeles Police Department, Disney and Warner Bros. are also listed. Some witnesses will appear remotely.
Elon Musk declared he’s "not perverted enough to be on CNN" as the liberal network struggles through a series of embarrassing scandals. (REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo)
Elon Musk
Musk and Heard were previously romantically linked between 2016 and 2018. He is listed as a potential witness for Heard during this trial, and text messages he sent Heard were previously read in a British court in 2020 during a libel trial.
In May 2016, Musk offered Heard "24/7 security" after she said she would file a restraining order against Depp, according to text messages read that year by Depp’s lawyer Eleanor Laws.
Depp claims that Heard had an affair with Musk "no later than one month" after their marriage. Heard has denied having an affair with Musk during her marriage with Depp.
Paul Bettany attends the Avengers: Infinity War fan event in London, Britain April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls (Reuters)
Paul Bettany
Bettany is listed as a potential witness for Depp and is expected to appear via video link.
Bettany is a friend of Depp’s and was pulled into the UK trial when text messages between the two describing "burning", "drowning," and having sex with Heard’s "burnt corpse" were read, Deadline reported.
Director and star James Franco arrives for the gala presentation of "The Disaster Artist" at the AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 12, 2017. (REUTERS/Mike Blake )
James Franco
Franco is listed as a potential witness for Heard and is expected to appear during the trial via video link.
He is anticipated to be questioned about his former relationship with Heard. Depp’s lawyers had previously subpoenaed some of his communications and documents detailing his relationship with Heard.
Actress Ellen Barkin arrives for the premiere of the movie "The Monuments Men" in New York February 4, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (Reuters)
Ellen Barkin
Barkin is listed as a potential witness for Heard.
Amber Heard says she has become a mom and did it "on my own terms," as a single parent. In an Instagram post, the actor said she welcomed daughter Oonagh Paige Heard on April 8. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Amber Heard
Heard is listed as her own list of witnesses. She does not appear on Depp’s list, according to the Guardian.
FILE - In this file photo dated Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, US actor and film producer Johnny Deep during the photocall for his film "Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane Macgoman" at the 68th San Sebastian Film Festival, in San Sebastian, northern Spain. Britain’s judicial office said Tuesday Oct. 27, 2020, that judge Andrew Nicol will deliver his verdict in writing on Nov. 2, ruling on whether Johnny Depp was libelled by a tabloid newspaper that branded him a wife-beater. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, FILE) (AP)
Johnny Depp
Depp is listed as a witness on both his list and Heard’s. He is expected to appear in person.
In this Jan. 2, 2016, file photo, Amber Heard, left, and Johnny Depp arrive at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs, Calif. In a complaint filed Friday, March 1, 2019, Depp is suing his ex-wife Heard in a $50 million defamation lawsuit, citing a piece she wrote for The Washington Post about domestic abuse. (AP)
Jurors will hear testimony over the coming six weeks in a Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom. The trial is being held in Virginia due to its proximity to the Washington Post’s newsroom. The judge has allowed cameras in the courtroom, unlike the UK trial.
Heard posted to Instagram Sunday that she "always maintained a love for Johnny" despite their years of public feuding.
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"I never named him, rather I wrote about the price women pay for speaking against men in power. I continue to pay that price, but hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny," she wrote.
Fox News' Michael Ruiz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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