LOVE TURNS INTO WAR
Depp, Heard go from each other’s arms to throats
A mythical queen of the sea. A legendary pirate. And a shipwreck of a relationship.
That’s the story of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s love that ended in an explosive defamation trial headlined by abuse allegations. Both actors referenced happier times during their testimonies.
Depp, whose most famous role is of Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series, sued his ex-wife Heard, 36, for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed in which Heard described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard, who starred as Queen Mera, a fictional superheroine and warrior, in “Aquaman,” didn’t name Depp in the piece but previously accused him of abuse, which he denies.
Both have shared their accounts of what happened throughout the six-week trial, but how did it get to this point?
Here’s a time line of Depp, 58, and Heard’s relationship.
2009: Depp and Heard work together on ‘The Rum Diary’
Depp was a producer and the star of the 2011 comedy-drama movie “The Rum Diary,” and met with Heard — then an upand-coming actress — about a potential role in the film, Heard said during her testimony last month.
Heard said she was familiar with Depp when she took the meeting but didn’t consider herself a fan, and was quickly surprised by their common interests in books, music and poetry.
Heard said they began production for the movie in March 2009 and described feeling chemistry with Depp on the set, but both were in relationships at the time.
2011: Press tour for ‘The Rum Diary’
Depp and Heard reunited in the fall of 2011 as they promoted “The Rum Diary,” when they were both single, Heard told the jury.
Heard said they “fell in love” during the press tour and continued “secretly dating” because the public wasn’t yet aware that Depp’s previous relationship with singer Vanessa Paradis had ended.
Depp’s split from Paradis was publicly confirmed by his rep in the summer of 2012.
2015: Depp and Heard marry
The actors wed in a civil ceremony in Los Angeles in February 2015 before exchanging vows in at a ceremony in the Bahamas later that month.
2016: Heard files for divorce Heard filed for divorce in May 2016 and was granted a temporary restraining order that month after accusing Depp of domestic abuse.
She claimed at the time that Depp threw a cell phone at her face during a violent outburst, claiming he was “inebriated and high.”
Depp’s lawyer responded in a filing that Heard was “attempting to secure premature financial resolution by alleging abuse.”
2017: The divorce is finalized
A Los Angeles judge finalized the divorce in January 2017. Depp and Heard had previously reached a $7 million settlement, which Heard pledged to donate to charity.
2018: Heard pens op-ed about domestic abuse
In December 2018, The Washington Post published an op-ed written by Heard, in which she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”
“I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out,” Heard wrote. The piece did not name Depp.
2019: Depp files defamation lawsuit Depp sued Heard in March 2019 in Fairfax County, Va., contending he was defamed by the op-ed.
His lawsuit asserts that the op-ed “depends on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.”
Heard later filed a $100 million counterclaim over comments made by a Depp attorney that painted her abuse accusations as a hoax.
2020: Depp loses libel lawsuit against British tabloid publisher
Depp was unsuccessful in a lawsuit against the publisher of The Sun over an article painting him as a “wife beater.”
A High Court judge deemed the claims were “substantially true” in November 2020, and Depp was denied the opportunity to appeal the decision.
2022: Depp’s defamation trial against Heard begins
The six-week trial in Fairfax began in April and has seen multiple days of testimony from both Depp and Heard, who accuse each other of repeated physical abuse.
Depp denies ever striking Heard, while Heard denies ever assaulting Depp.
Closing arguments took place Friday, and the jury began deliberating that day. The jury resumed deliberations Tuesday after the long Memorial Day weekend.