Johnny Depp’s Lawyers Argue Amber Heard Faked Abuse In Opening Statements In Defamation Trial

etcanada.com:

Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard got underway in a Virginia courtroom on Tuesday, with lawyers for the actor arguing Heard faked her domestic abuse to advance her career.

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million, claiming she destroyed his career when she published a Washington Post op-ed in 2018 alleging domestic abuse at the hands of the actor.

Depp’s attorneys Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez argue that the timing of the piece came during the wave of the #MeToo movement and just before Heard’s “Aquaman” film was released.

Both Depp and Heard were present in the courtroom. READ MORE: Johnny Depp Suit Against Amber Heard Starts With Jury Picks “She presented herself as the face of the #MeToo movement — the virtuous representative of innocent women across the country and the world who have truly suffered abuse,” Vasquez said. “The evidence will show that was a lie.” Calling Heard “manipulative” and saying her turn on the witness stand was “the performance of her life,” Chew argued that Depp has lost out on roles because studios fear the backlash that comes with casting someone accused of domestic violence. “The evidence will show that Ms.