Jury to hear opening statements in Johnny Depp libel case

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia is scheduled to hear opening statements in a defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp says Heard libeled him when she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp is never mentioned by name, but he says the article implicates him nonetheless because it refers to past accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him. A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Opening statements are set to begin on Tuesday.