After a high-profile libel case in London, actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard are headed back to court Monday, this time in the United States, for a blockbuster defamation case revolving about allegations of spousal abuse.
The case pitting the 58-year-old Depp against Heard, 35, will be broadcast live. Both are expected to testify, along with actors James Franco and Paul Bettany -- and billionaire Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk.
The case centers on a column written by Heard and printed in The Washington
Post in December 2018 in which she describes herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse" who was pilloried online after her assault claims.
The column was entitled: "I spoke up against sexual violence -- and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change."
The actress never names Depp, who she met on the set of the 2011 film "The Rum Diary" and was married to from 2015 to 2017 -- but he sued her for defamation for implying he was an abuser, seeking $50 million in damages.
"The op-ed's clear implication that Mr Depp is a domestic abuser is
categorically and demonstrably false. Mr Depp never abused Ms Heard," the complaint says.