Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial documentary to be released this month

 

A two-part documentary about American actor Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard will be released on September 19 on Discovery+.

The documentary titled Johnny vs Amber: The US Trial features interviews with Depp’s lawyers, legal experts and journalists. The documentary will also feature behind-the-scenes footage of the trial which was held between April and June this year.

According to media reports, the first episode of the documentary will investigate Depp’s side of events, covering his “abusive childhood and drug dependencies”. The episode will also show “an alternative version of events that show Depp to be a victim of domestic abuse himself”.

The second episode will talk about Heard, including “her detailed description of alleged sexual assault told on camera for the first time”. It will also show how Depp attacked Heard on social media, as noted in a press release.

Depp sued his ex-wife for defamation over a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, where she wrote about being a survivor of domestic violence. While Depp’s name wasn’t mentioned in the article, Depp’s lawyers argued it falsely implied she was sexually and physically abused by him in their marriage.  Later on, Heard countersued Depp for $100 million in 2021.

The defamation trial ended in June this year. The Virginia court ordered Heard to pay USD 10 million in compensatory damages and USD 5 million in punitive damages to Depp. However, Depp was only ordered to pay USD 2 million to his ex-wife.

In July, the Virginia court rejected Heard's demand for a new trial in the defamation case. The judge, who presided over the six-week trial in April-June, issued a written order denying Heard’s request for the new trial. Heard’s legal team also claimed that she was unaware of the headline of her article.