Mike Marsland via Getty ImagesJohnny Depp and Amber Heard, here in 2011, still discreet about their relationship.JUSTICE – Johnny Depp, victim of domestic violence? It is under these features that the 58-year-old Hollywood actor presented himself during the defamation lawsuit he brought against his ex-wife Amber Heard, an extraordinary and highly publicized lawsuit being held in Fairfax, the United States. United States, since mid-April. The star of Pirates of the Caribbean said it again: he never raised his hand on the latter, with whom he was married for fifteen months, from 2015 to 2017. This n t is not what the 36-year-old actress thinks who, after the complaint filed by her former husband, has, in turn, accused him of defamation. For her, it’s “a monster”. This is not the first time that the two exes have found themselves in court, nor that their private life has made headlines. Like their divorce, a previous lawsuit instigated by Johnny Depp against the British daily The Sun had, in 2020, exposed many sordid details of their past altercations. This second act is very well attended, especially since the cast of witnesses is worthy of the great Hollywood films: billionaire Elon Musk, actors James Franco and Paul Bettany, actress Ellen Barkin… The trial is broadcast on television and must last several weeks. Where are we today? Why is the case generating so much interest? The HuffPost invites you to come back point by point on what you need to know to better understand this trial. It was only in 2012 that they officially appeared together. He had separated from his ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis. She, from her ex-partner, photographer Tasya van Ree. A few years later, they get married. In May 2016, Amber Heard filed for divorce. What happened? Rumors about the reasons for their separation are rife. In the papers she filed for the divorce, Amber Heard testifies “to a serious incident that occurred in December 2015 where [elle a] really scared for [sa] life”. When the divorce proceedings begin in court, and under the eye of the tabloids, the actress is seen with bruises on her face. Johnny Depp allegedly threw an iPhone in her face during an argument a few days earlier, according to a complaint filed by Amber Heard, as told by The Cut magazine. via Associated PressJohnny Depp, here April 20, in Fairfax. The actor has denied all allegations. An agreement was finally reached in the summer of 2016. “Our relationship was intensely passionate and sometimes volatile, but always bound by love,” they have publicly declared. Amber Heard has withdrawn her complaint. As for Johnny Depp, he paid him seven million dollars. A sum that the actress then donated to associations. That did not end the litigation. Where does this new trial come from? The trial, which has been held since mid-April near Washington, stems from a column published in 2018 in the Washington Post and in which Amber Heard described himself as a “victim of domestic violence” bullied by society after coming out of silence two years earlier. The actress did not quote Johnny Depp at any time, but the events recounted suggested that they were referring to him. After the publication of this forum, the actor decided to file a defamation suit against Amber Heard, claiming 50 million dollars in damages. “The platform, which implicitly accuses Johnny Depp of being an abusive husband, is categorically false” and aims to “generate positive publicity” around Amber Heard, argued his defense. It was in the state of Virginia, where the Washington Post is printed and where the legal framework is more favorable to complaints of defamation than in California, the place of residence of the two stars, that he filed his complaint. The actress then counter-attacked, in turn filing a defamation complaint to obtain 100 million dollars. “The futile complaint filed by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard prolongs the abuse and harassment” he imposed on her during their marriage, specified this same complaint. London. Except that at the time, Johnny Depp sued the publishing company of the tabloid The Sun after an article presenting him as an abusive husband. To prove his good faith, the tabloid had called his ex-wife to the bar. She had described a dozen attacks committed, according to her, by a husband transformed into a “monster” by his excessive use of drugs. At the helm, he admitted to consuming too many drugs and alcohol, but claimed to have never raised his hand on a woman, supported in this regard by the written testimonies of his ex-companions Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder. British justice had finally decided in favor of the tabloid, considering that “the vast majority of the alleged attacks had been proven”. via Associated Press Amber Heard, here April 21, in Fairfax. Many sordid details were exposed then. During the trial, the American actor notably accused his wife of having defecated on the marital bed in 2016. He would have taken photos to keep track of this “joke” in bad taste. Amber Heard admitted to hitting the actor in a 2015 incident to stop him from pushing his sister, Whitney Henriquez, down the stairs. Several liaisons, including one with actor James Franco and another with Tesla boss Elon Musk, have also been alleged against him. The new trial reveals new controversies. After several days of hearing, we learned in particular of the existence of messages sent in 2013 by Johnny Depp to friends in which he wrote that he wanted to “burn Amber” and “kiss near his burned corpse, to (s) ‘ensure that ‘she was dead’. Johnny Depp downplayed the cruelty of these remarks by speaking of “misunderstanding”. “It’s just irreverent and abstract humor, explained the Hollywood star. It’s a Monty Python reference.” His legal team has largely disputed the relevance of private messages, exchanged between the actor and his relatives, which the defense tried to add as evidence in the file. A week earlier, the actor lamented having lost everything, that Amber Heard changed her life and her reputation forever. He assured to have lost, “whatever the outcome of the trial”. The media coverage of this alleged violence has, according to him, put a stop to his career. “It didn’t take long for Disney to decide to withdraw me from the Pirates of the Caribbean saga,” he denounced. Another example: Fantastic Beasts, franchise in which he was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. As for Amber Heard, she remains most often impassive listening to the testimonies, but appeared upset during the screening of a video she had filmed without the knowledge of her husband at the time, who we see violently slamming kitchen cupboard doors before pouring himself a large glass of wine. The trial continues. The spread of their alleged mutual violence, too. See also on The HuffPost: Johnny Depp launches on Instagram and is very talkative