Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial verdict live: Actor asks to strike part of Heard closing statement as day 2 of deliberation ends

Amber Heard lawyer calls out Johnny Depp for ‘laughing’ and ‘snide comments’

Amber Heard’s lawyer accused Johnny Depp of “laughing and making snide remarks” in court as the jury was shown a video which the actor himself previously said showed him “assaulting cabinets”.

Attorney Ben Rottenborn replayed the video – filmed by Ms Heard in 2016 – during closing arguments in the couple’s defamation trial on Friday.

Mr Rottenborn sought to refute testimony from a former TMZ employee that the video, which shows Mr Depp storming around a kitchen slamming cabinets, was sent to the outlet directly by Ms Heard in an attempt to smear him following their divorce.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: A timeline of their relationship, allegations, and court battles

Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard in March 2019, alleging a column Heard wrote in The Washington Post about domestic violence was defamatory and asking for $50m in damages. Ms Heard then filed a $100m countersuit.

The proceedings began with jury selection on 11 April 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia. Closing arguments took place on 27 May before jurors were sent out to deliberate.

Here is a timeline of Mr Depp and Ms Heard’s relationship, separation, and court battles, from when they are said to have started dating to the latest trial:

Johnny Depp v Amber Heard judge and staff applauded in court

The judge and court staff who sat through six weeks of testimony in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard received a round of applause as the jury finally began deliberations in the case.

The courtroom in Fairfax County, Virginia, witnessed a rare moment of lightheartedness – and agreement between the legal teams for the former spouses – on Friday (27 May) as they showed their thanks to Judge Penney Azcarate.

Amber Heard’s testimony on Johnny Depp

WARNING: This article contains allegations of physical and sexual violence that some readers may find distressing.

Amber Heard spent several days on the witness stand in the defamation trial brought against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp, telling jurors of the abuse she claims to have suffered at his hands.

She began on 4 May by providing background how they met and they fell in love, before sharing several allegations of physical abuse and sexual assault across three more days on the stand.

Here’s what we learned from Ms Heard’s testimony:

Johnny Depp’s testimony on Amber Heard

Johnny Depp gave nearly four days of testimony in his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, seeking to convince the jury that he did not abuse her and was in fact a victim of her abuse.

Mr Depp first took the stand on Tuesday 19 April, then kept testifying every day up until the end of Thursday 21 April. Proceedings paused on Friday 22 April, then over the weekend, and picked up again on 25 April with continued testimony from Mr Depp. He then returned to the stand for his rebuttal on 25 May.

Here is what we learned during his time as a witness:

Johnny Depp asks jurors to ‘give him his life back’

Johnny Depp’s lawyers pleaded with jurors to “give him his life back” after it was “ruined” by Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse, as closing arguments got under way on Friday (27 May).

Mr Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez told the jury that the evidence had shown Ms Heard was the “abuser” and Mr Depp was the “abused” during their tumultuous relationship, saying that both Mr Depp’s “good name” and his “life” are at stake as they reach their verdict.

Amber Heard lawyer says ruling in favour of Johnny Depp would make jurors into ‘accomplice’

Amber Heard’s attorney told jurors that ruling in favour of Johnny Depp would make them an “accomplice” to his abuse and “campaign of global humiliation”, as the case neared a dramatic close on Friday (27 May).

Attorney Benjamin Rottenborn delivered closing statements to the court in Fairfax, Virginia, where he warned that Mr Depp’s argument that he was not abusive to Ms Heard sends a “message” to survivors of domestic abuse everywhere.

Pirates of the Caribbean boat driven past Depp v Heard courthouse

A car decorated as a ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean films drove past the courthouse where a jury was deliberating the verdict Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard on Tuesday (31 May).

Why the defamation trial is being held in Virginia

The explosive defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has unfolded well outside their normal Hollywood orbit – at a court in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Mr Depp’s suit against his ex-wife alleges that she defamed him in a December 2018 op-ed published in The Washington Post titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change”.

The trial is taking place in Fairfax because the online edition of The Post is published via servers in the county, allowing Mr Depp to sue her in that area.