Lawyer: Depp trial likely to become mudslinging soap opera

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Lawyers for actress Amber Heard are warning a jury that a six-week libel trial sought by Johnny Depp will likely devolve into a mudslinging soap opera. A civil jury in Fairfax, Virginia, heard opening statements Tuesday in the case. Depp sued Heard after she wrote an op-ed piece in the The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp’s lawyers say the article refers to abuse allegations Heard leveled in 2016. Depp denies hitting her. Heard’s lawyers say the evidence will show the jury “who the real Johnny Depp is … behind the pirate costumes.”