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The Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation trial concluded its third week on Thursday, April 29, 2022, with key testimonies from ACLU Chief Operating Officer Terence Dougherty, Depp's business manager Edward White, his bodyguard Malcolm Connolly and driver Starling Jenkins.
The highly publicized trial began on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax County, Virginia and is likely to continue for three more weeks. Depp has already concluded his time on the stand and testified for four days, claiming that he was a victim of domestic abuse during his relationship with Heard.
Meanwhile, Heard's team argued that their client suffered domestic abuse at Depp's hands instead. Both parties have denied each other's allegations.
According to multiple media sources, the upcoming week of the trial will likely feature Amber Heard's testimony. The actress will reportedly take the stand when the trial resumes on Monday, May 2, 2022 unless there is a major revelation during the closing arguments of Depp's team.
The inception of the defamation trial goes back to Heard's 2018 Washington Post op-ed, where she portrayed herself as a domestic violence survivor. Although the article did not mention Depp's name, his team alleged that it painted the actor as the alleged abuser and had a negative impact on his career.
Depp lodged a $50 million lawsuit for libel against Heard, marking the beginning of the defamation trial. Meanwhile, Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that he assaulted her on multiple occasions during their relationship and one year of marriage. Depp has denied her claims.
A look into the upcoming schedule of the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial
The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial is taking place in the Fairfax County Courthouse from Monday to Thursday between 10 am and 5 pm. The third week of the trial concluded on Thursday, April 28, and the court is set to resume on Monday, May 2. The trial will reportedly continue for the next two to three weeks.
Inside sources told Deadline that Heard is likely to take the stand on Monday and might prove to be a "highly effective weapon" in this case.
"It's hard to see how Amber won't prove to be a highly effective weapon against Depp in her own advocacy. Regardless of how they have tried to characterize her, she has been nothing but well composed and pretty conservative in court without having said a word."
Depp's team has already presented the case in court as plaintiffs of civil cases often make the case first in the U.S. However, they are yet to present their concluding arguments. Meanwhile, Heard's team will reportedly present their case as the defense team in the forthcoming weeks.
In addition to Depp and Heard, other A-list celebrities like James Franco, Paul Bettany, Jason Momoa and Elon Musk are named as witnesses in the case. However, it remains unknown if the stars will testify in-person or through a video recording in the days to come.
So far, none of the public figures have made an appearance in court despite their names being mentioned in the witness list. As per reports, the defamation trial is likely to conclude on May 19, 2022.
It will be paused for a week between May 9 and 12 when Judge Penny Azcarate will be off to attend a prescheduled conference.
