Johnny Depp is ‘out to destroy’ Amber Heard, lawyer says in opening statement

Heard’s lawyers insist ex-husband’s career was on the downturn due to his drug use, not her op-ed in The Washington Post

Amber Heard's defence attorney claimed Johnny Depp would try to turn the defamation cause against his ex-wife into a "soap opera," but warned that it was a distraction.

Ben Rottenborn, Heard's lawyer, said the case was about her First Amendment rights to discuss her experiences, and argued that context matters and asked the jury to read the entire article she wrote for The Washington Post – which led to the lawsuit – and not just the parts highlighted by Depp.

He then read the article to the jury and asked why Depp did not sue The Washington Post as well as Heard, claiming he wanted to "ruin her life, to destroy her."

Mr Rottenborn said the argument from Depp that Heard’s accusations hurt his career are illegitimate, claiming Disney had already decided to move on from Pirates of the Caribbean 6 due to his alleged drug use during work on the previous film. He pointed out that Depp had previously stated he would not work on Pirates of the Caribbean 6 for any amount of money.

He claimed that Depp’s career was already on a downward trajectory due to his own drug and alcohol use and that Heard’s article was not nearly as well known as his reputation.

Another attorney for Heard, Elaine Bredehoft, began an exhaustive timeline of the couple’s relationship and its fracturing. She recounted Heard breaking into Hollywood and how she later met and fell in love with Depp on the set of The Rum Diary.

Ms Bredhoft then discussed numerous instances in which Depp allegedly assaulted – and sometimes sexually assaulted – Heard over the course of their relationship. The attorney claimed during one particularly violent incident MDepp used a liquor bottle to penetrate Heard.

Depp, who was visible in the background of the court video and up until that point had been relatively still, shook his head “no” while giving the attorney a sceptical glare after she mentioned the bottle.

It also appears the defence may be trying to associate Depp with disgraced rocker Marilyn Manson, as the musician’s name has been referenced twice as being “friends” with the actor.

In 2021, numerous women – led by the musician’s former fiancee, actor Evan Rachel Wood– accused Manson of sexual assault and abuse. Manson has denied the accusations against him, calling them “horrible distortions of reality”.