Johnny Depp’s high-profile libel claim against the publisher of The Sun is over allegations he was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard during their relationship – claims the Hollywood star vehemently denies.
The pair met in around 2011 on the set of The Rum Diary, a film adaption of a novel by Depp’s friend Hunter S Thompson, before they started living together in around 2012.
Here is a timeline of the key events in their relationship and the bitter legal battle that has ensued.
Battle: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (both pictured at court in London) went to war in a very nasty court case
2013
– March 8: Depp allegedly tries to set fire to a painting by Heard’s ex-partner Tasya van Ree before he is said to have attacked her for the first time, which the actor denies.
2015
– February 3: The couple marry in a private ceremony at their home in Los Angeles.
– March 3-5: The key incident in The Sun’s defence, the three-day trip to Australia has been described by Heard as a ‘three-day hostage situation’ in which Depp was allegedly physically and verbally abusive while drinking heavily and taking drugs.
Depp denies the allegations and says Heard lost her temper after a conversation about a post-nuptial agreement.
– April 21: The couple arrive in Australia with their pet Yorkshire Terriers Boo and Pistol, which they did not declare to customs officials in Queensland. Heard was charged later with bringing the dogs into the country illegally – the charges were later dropped and the pair later recorded a bizarre video apologising for bringing their dogs to Australia.
2016
– Around May 22: The pair separated, Heard claims after an incident at their LA penthouse in which Depp allegedly became very angry and destroyed property with a bottle of champagne.
– May 23: Heard files petition for the dissolution of their marriage.
– May 27: Heard applies for a temporary domestic violence restraining order, which prevents Depp from contacting her.
– August 16: The estranged couple reach an agreement concerning the dissolution of their marriage. Heard later donates her seven million US dollar (£5.5 million) settlement to charity.
2017
– January 13: The couple are formally divorced.
2018
– April 27: The column by The Sun’s then executive editor Dan Wootton is published online at around 10pm. Under the headline ‘Gone Potty – How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?’, Mr Wootton asked if the Harry Potter author had been ‘blinded by a personal friendship’ with Depp.
The piece also quoted two alleged victims of disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, which Depp says was included to ‘finish his career’.
– April 28: The following day, the online article is amended to remove the words ‘wife beater’ from the headline, which was not included in the print edition.
– June 1: Depp files claim his libel against News Group Newspapers. His written claim, filed a few weeks later, claims the article ’caused serious harm to (his) personal and professional reputation’ and also caused him ‘significant distress and embarrassment’.
– December 18: The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by Heard which did not mention Depp by name, but said that the actress ‘became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out’.
2019
– February 27: Depp fights off a bid to halt his English legal action after The Sun applies for his claim to be ‘stayed unless and until’ the star confirmed in writing that he would not sue Heard if she participated in a forthcoming trial.
– March 1: Depp files a libel case against Heard in Virginia, blaming the Washington Post piece for Depp being dropped from the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and claiming that Heard was the one who had been abusive towards him.
2020
– February 26: Johnny Depp attends the High Court in London for a preliminary hearing ahead of a trial which was due to begin the following month. The star heard NGN’s barrister Adam Wolanski read out texts sent by Depp, including one from November 2013 to actor Paul Bettany, in which Depp wrote: ‘Let’s burn Amber.’
He also wrote: ‘Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead.’
– March 20: The trial, which was due to begin on March 23, is postponed due to the global coronavirus crisis. NGN’s lawyers had claimed Depp wanted to delay the trial ‘because he’s a coward and because he knows he’s going to lose’, which was denied by Depp’s legal team.
– April 8: Mr. Justice Nicol rules that parts of Heard’s evidence, relating to allegations of sexual violence, will be heard in private.
– May 13: The court gives permission for Depp’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder – who both say Depp was ‘never violent’ to them – to give evidence. Heard’s former personal assistant Kate James is also permitted to give evidence.
– June 25: NGN asks the court to throw out Depp’s claim just two weeks before trial over the star’s failure to disclose text messages of him apparently trying to buy drugs in Australia in 2015. The publisher’s lawyers say Depp deliberately withheld text messages they say show him trying to obtain ‘MDMA and other narcotics’.
– June 29: Mr. Justice Nicol rules that Depp did breach a court order by not disclosing documents from separate libel proceedings against Heard in the US – which include the text messages. But Depp’s lawyers argue that it would be ‘wholly disproportionate’ to strike out the actor’s libel claim.
– July 2: The High Court rules Depp’s claim can go ahead after granting his application for ‘relief from sanctions’ for the breach of a court order.
– July 4: The trial judge, Mr. Justice Nicol refuses an application by Depp’s lawyers to exclude Heard from court until she gives evidence.
– July 7: The three-week trial finally begins at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, with witnesses set to include Depp’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder as well as several of Heard’s friends who say they were present when Depp was abusive.
– July 28: The trial ends after 16 days.
– November 2: Depp loses his High Court libel action with Mr. Justice Nicol ruling that NGN had proved what was in the article to be ‘substantially true’.
– November 6: Depp announces that he has been asked by Warner Bros. to resign from Fantastic Beasts 3 and he has ‘respected that and agreed to that request’.
– November 25: Mr. Justice Nicol denies Depp’s request for permission to appeal against his ruling at the Court of Appeal. The judge also orders the actor to make an initial payment of almost £630,000 (around $850,000) to NGN for the publisher’s legal fees.
– December 7: Lawyers for Depp file grounds of appeal with the Court of Appeal arguing that the Hollywood star ‘did not receive a fair trial’ and asking for the judgement to be ‘set aside’ and a new trial ordered.
2021
– February 1: The Court of Appeal orders Depp’s application for permission to appeal should be considered at a hearing in March.
– March 18 – Depp’s application for permission to appeal will be heard by the Court of Appeal
– March 25 – The Court of Appeal refuses permission to appeal the ruling stating that Depp’s attempt to overturn the decision had ‘no real prospect of success.’
– July 1: Heard announces she has become a mother to a baby girl born using a surrogate. The actress reveals her daughter Oonagh Paige was born on April 8
2022
– Depp’s defamation case against Heard over her Washington Post Op-Ed is scheduled to go to trial in April
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