Johnny Depp is suing his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation. Photo / Getty Images
Johnny Depp is suing his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation. Photo / Getty Images
Amber Heard's legal team believes a jury verdict in her favour will send a message to domestic abuse victims everywhere as she prepares to give evidence in a blockbuster trial that will be beamed into living rooms across the world.
It comes nearly 18 months after Johnny Depp lost a similarly high-profile libel case in the UK, which he brought against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, over an article calling him a "wife beater".
In the US court case Depp is suing Heard, his former wife, for $50 million.
He claims that she defamed him when she wrote an article in the Washington Post in 2018 describing herself as an abuse survivor.
Depp accuses his ex-wife of trying to "generate positive publicity for herself" ahead of the release of a film.
Unlike the case in London the US trial will be decided by a jury, rather than a judge.
Selection of the jurors was conducted on Monday, with opening statements by lawyers expected as soon as Tuesday.
"We believe in the end, the jury will view all the evidence - which is even greater than what was presented in the UK - and come to the same conclusion the UK court did," a source familiar with Heard's legal team told Vanity Fair.
"A jury verdict against Johnny will send a message to the millions of women out there who suffer from intimate partner violence every single day, that they can move safely on with their lives. And it will allow Amber to move on as well."
Both Depp, 58, and Heard, 35, arrived at the court in Fairfax, Virginia, just outside Washington, for jury selection in front of Judge Penney Azcarate.
Depp wore a grey suit and glasses, while Heard wore a black jacket and white blouse.
They did not appear to make eye contact in court. Dozens of fans of Depp gathered outside the court, starting before dawn, with one brandishing a "Justice for Johnny" sign.
One woman, who had travelled from Australia, told Deadline: "I took leave to come and stand by Johnny's side, mostly after the UK farce because I was really disgusted by that outcome. I believe Johnny Depp is a pure soul."
Yvonne De Boer, who had travelled from Los Angeles, said: "I've been a fan for 36 years, I've met him many times. I love him. I want to be here for him and hear him speak his truth."
The case was being held at a court in suburban Virginia, rather than in California where Depp and Heard both live.
That was because the Washington Post's online editions are published through servers based in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Depp, the Pirates of the Caribbean star, was expected to give evidence before Heard.
In the six-week trial evidence is expected to be called by both sides from high-profile figures including Elon Musk, and the actors James Franco and Paul Bettany.
The case will be broadcast live, gavel-to-gavel, on Court TV.
In the US court case Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard, his former wife, for $50 million. Photo / Getty Images
Ethan Nelson, acting head of Court TV, said: "Court cases that are as high-profile as this one often create a lot of noise, and it can be difficult for viewers to break through these distractions to have a clear picture of the facts, but that's where we come in."
Potential jurors were asked if they had strong opinions about the case.
One man, under questioning, read out a text message he had just received from his wife.
His wife had written: "Amber is psychotic."
The text also suggested that if a man was a victim of abuse, he is not believed.
