Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s case: a timeline

https://www.insider.com/johnny-depp-amber-heard-relationship-timeline-2020-7

We all know Johnny Depp (Jack Sparrow, Charlie from Charlie and the chocolate factory, Edward Scissorhands), but something not everyone knows about him is his tumultuous relationship with his ex-wife Amber Heard (Mera from Aquaman).

They began dating around the start of 2012. Both of them were in relationships before they started dating: Johnny was dating Paradis and had two kids with her, Lily-Rose and Jack; and Amber was with her partner Tasya Van Ree. However, both Depp and Heard, broke up with their partners at the time to be together. Two years later, in 2014, Amber was spotted wearing an engagement ring, and Johnny confirmed their engagement in an interview that same year.

In 2015 Depp and Heard got married in a small and private ceremony. We all thought they were in a happy marriage, until 2016 when Heard filed a divorce from Depp, where she alleged that Depp had physically abused her during their relationship. She also claimed that the abuse she was put through, usually happened while Depp was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

She said that an incident had recently taken place in which Depp threw a phone at her, leaving her with a bruised face. However, a police spokesman told People that an investigation into the domestic incident radio call found that no crime had taken place. Depp denied these accusations and through his representatives said Heard was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse." 

Heard testified under oath at a deposition, but a settlement was eventually reached after she withdrew her request for a domestic violence restraining order. She also rescinded her spousal support request of $50,000 a month.

Depp and Heard's divorce ended a year after Heard filed. Heard kept the dogs that were at the center of the 2015 scandal in which the couple failed to declare the animals in Australia. Meanwhile, Depp retained possession of all properties, including his private island in the Bahamas, as well as his collection of classic cars and motorcycles.

In December 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post saying she was abused. She wrote: "I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out."

In 2019, Depp sued Heard for $50 million for defamation over the WaPo article. The suit said that Heard "is not a victim of domestic abuse, she is a perpetrator," and denied that Depp ever abused her. Instead, the suit said that Heard's allegations were part of an "elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity" for the actress; yet she claimed that she still had scars on her arms and feet from an incident where Depp allegedly threw her through a ping pong table at her and dragged her through broken glass.

In January, phone recordings obtained by the Daily Mail were released. In these recordings, Heard admitted to "hitting" Depp. Amber is heard saying: "I'm sorry that I didn't ... hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you, it was not punching you. Babe, you're not punched.” Later in the recording, Johnny is heard saying "I left last night. Honestly, I swear to you because I just couldn't take the idea of more physicality, more physical abuse on each other. And baby, I told you this once. I'm scared to death we are a f***ing crime scene right now," Depp continued. Heard replied: "I can't promise you I won't get physical again. God, I f***ing sometimes get so mad I lose it."

On July 7, 2020, the three-week libel trial began. Depp fought News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun, in court over a 2018 article in which they called him a "wife-beater" in reference to Depp and Heard's former marriage. Depp sued both the publisher and The Sun's executive editor Dan Wootton for libel. Many celebrities and Johnny’s closest friends, including his ex-partner Paradis, Tim Burton, Paul Bethanny, his Pirates of the Caribbean co-stars, and many more, testified against Heard; saying that it is almost impossible to think of Depp as a violent person. 

Sadly, on November 2nd, the court ruled against Depp in the libel trial. Three months after the blockbuster trial began, Judge Mr. Justice Nicol ruled that The Sun was correct in reporting that Depp was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard. 

4 days later, on November the 6th, Depp announced that he had been 'asked to resign' from his role as Grindewald in Fantastic Beasts 3. In a statement posted to his Instagram that day, he wrote in a typed letter: "I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts' and I have respected and agreed to that request." He continued, "Finally, I wish to say this. The surreal judgment of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal."

Johnny Depp and his legal team had hoped to overturn the court's ruling with an appeal, but in a statement that was made public on November the 25th, Judge Nicol refused to grant Depp the permission to appeal against his judgment, saying: "I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success." In March 2021, Depp was once again denied permission to appeal against the high court ruling by the Court of Appeals in London.

All of the evidence points to Johnny being the victim, but for now, somehow Amber got the last laugh. #justiceforjohnnydepp