A jury was chosen to listen to Johnny Depp’s explosive defamation lawsuit in opposition to ex-wife Amber Heard on Monday — as scores of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star’s most hardcore followers gathered outdoors the Virginia courthouse for the long-awaited trial.
The panel of seven jurors and 4 alternates was picked by late afternoon within the Fairfax, Virginia court docket. Opening statements are scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Followers reportedly traveled from so far as Australia to see Depp, 58, who sported a gray three-piece go well with, together with his characteristically lengthy hair, plus a goatee, mustache and sun shades. An official stated court docket officers apparently snuck the embattled actor into the listening to.
Heard, 35, additionally wore a three-piece go well with, although hers was black and didn't embrace a tie. She walked into court docket along with her fingers in her pocket, saying “Good morning” to a digicam particular person.
Supporters had been pictured holding indicators that learn “Justice for Johnny” and “Want he by no means Heard” and holding small pirate flags, referencing Depp’s function within the “Pirates of the Caribbean” collection.
Choose Penney Azcarate has made clear that whereas the case is likely to be excessive profile, she doesn’t need it turning right into a circus — and banned the A-list plaintiff and defendant from signing autographs or posing for photos in or outdoors the courthouse.
The court docket order devastated some followers who waited outdoors all morning for a glimpse of their idol.
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" class="wp-image-21857609"/>“I’m so upset. I got here to offer him flowers to point out some assist,” stated Raylyn Otie, a Depp fanatic from Bluefield, Virginia, who drove 5 hours to satisfy the actor.
Depp is in search of $50 million in damages from Heard, who he claims defamed him when she wrote in a 2018 Washington Submit op-ed that she was a sufferer of “sexual violence.”
Whereas Depp will not be named within the op-ed, the actor — who as soon as made upward of $20 million per movie — says it ruined his repute and profession after it was extensively assumed Heard was writing about their five-year relationship.
Simply days after the op-ed was printed, Disney dropped Depp from its “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, which collectively grossed greater than $4.5 billion within the field workplace. The actor additionally withdrew from his function within the Harry Potter spin-off “Unbelievable Beasts,” apparently on the behest of Warner Bros., after dropping his 2020 court docket case in UK in opposition to the Solar over its description of him as a “spouse beater.”
Throughout the jury choice course of Monday, one potential juror stated his spouse had robust opinions concerning the case — and that she texted him: “Amber is psychotic. If a person says a girl beat him, they by no means imagine him,” in accordance with Deadline.
He added that “she tends to magnify” and insisted he might nonetheless be neutral.
A special juror was dismissed after saying Depp “was beating her and mendacity about issues,” regardless of claiming he would attempt to hold an open thoughts, the location reported.
“I used to be actually disgusted by the end result of the UK [trial],” Jacina, a fan from Australia, informed a reporter outdoors the courthouse Monday morning. “I simply got here to assist and present solidarity for Johnny.”
“I imagine he’s harmless and I don’t suppose that males’s repute ought to be capable to be ruined on the say-so of 1 particular person when it’s not true. So yeah, he suffered very unhealthy penalties that he didn’t deserve,” she added.
The trial is anticipated to last as long as six weeks.
Each Heard and Depp are anticipated to testify, together with many different high-profile witnesses, like Heard’s ex Elon Musk, actor James Franco, “WandaVision” star Paul Bettany and actress Ellen Barkin.
With Submit wires
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