Enlarge image
Johnny Depp in court in Fairfax, Virginia
Photo: Jim Watson / AFP
The defamation trial between Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard is coming to an end with the closing arguments of the lawyers on both sides.
Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez, repeated the allegation in Fairfax, Virginia, that Heard had seriously harmed the actor with false allegations of domestic violence.
"She ruined his life by falsely telling the world she was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Mr. Depp," Vasquez said.
The jury could "give the 58-year-old actor his life back" by making it clear that Depp did not commit the crimes and "holding Ms. Heard accountable for her lies".
The evidence presented in the trial showed that Heard and not Depp was violent in the relationship, the attorney said.
"She was violent, she was abusive, she was cruel."
Heard accused Depp, to whom she was married between 2015 and 2017, of domestic violence in 2016 and applied to the court for a contact ban against her then-husband.
In 2018, the actress described herself as a victim of domestic violence in an article for the Washington Post.
She did not name her ex-husband.
However, Depp's lawyers argue that the newspaper article was a clear allusion to the incident in 2016 and therefore again accuses the actor of violence.
Depp, who firmly denies the allegations, has sued Heard for $50 million in damages.
The actress, known from the superhero film »Aquaman«, responded with a counterclaim and demanded $100 million.
The 36-year-old not only accuses Depp of repeatedly becoming violent.
She also argues that she herself was the victim of defamation by Depp and those around him, which severely damaged her film career.
The process, which attracted a great deal of media interest, began on April 11th.
The jury will retire to its deliberations after the closing arguments of attorneys for both sides.
The verdict is not likely to come until next week at the earliest.
Depp and Heard had previously faced each other at a trial in London in 2020.
At the time, Depp had sued the British tabloid The Sun, which had described him as a "wife bully".
At the trial, Heard testified as a witness and accused Depp of repeatedly assaulting her while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
The actor firmly rejected the allegations and accused his ex-wife of being the "aggressive part" in their conflict-ridden relationship.
However, Depp was defeated in the trial against the Sun.
kha/AFP/Reuters
