Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's Nasty Divorce as Legal Battle Continues — a Glimpse Inside

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's divorce has been making headlines since 2016. Four years later, their nasty and highly-publicized legal battle is still in the news.

The former couple met for the first time in 2009 while working together in the film "The Rum Diary." In it, Depp portrayed Paul Kemp, and Heard played Chenault, Kemp's love interest.

[Heard] admitted that she became a "public figure representing domestic abuse."

JOHNNY DEPP AND AMBER HEARD'S RELATIONSHIP

Heard and Depp started dating around the end of 2011 or the start of 2012, as the actress herself revealed in a court filing, and from that point on, their love story appeared to be great.

In 2014, Amber Heard was seen wearing an engagement ring for the first time, and only one year later, she and Johnny Depp tied the knot in a private ceremony in their Los Angeles home.

Unfortunately, in 2016, Heard filed for divorce and even got a temporary restraining order against Depp after she claimed that he was physically abusive to her during their relationship.

The actress made clear that her ex-partner's aggressive behavior was frequently triggered when he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

JOHNNY DEPP AND AMBER HEARD'S DIVORCE

However, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star denied her claims and pointed out that Heard's accusations were part of a plan to secure "a premature financial resolution."

In August 2016, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard settled out of court. Although she gave up her spousal support request and withdrew her petition of a domestic violence restraining order, she received $7 million. Heard reportedly donated it to charity.

Finally, after a bitter legal battle, their divorce was officially over in 2017. Depp got to keep all of his properties, including a private island in the Caribbean and his classic cars and bikes, while she ended up with her dogs and the money.

It was also reported that Depp and Heard included a non-disparagement clause into their settlement, preventing them from talking ill about their time together or their separation.

THEY RESTARTED THEIR LEGAL BATTLE

In December 2018, Amber Heard supposedly broke that clause by writing an op-ed for the Washington Post. Although the actress never mentioned Depp's name, she admitted that she became a "public figure representing domestic abuse."

As a result, Depp sued her for defamation and asked for $50 million. According to his lawyers, the note's premise was that Heard was a victim of domestic abuse and that Depp was the perpetrator.

When the entire situation seemed to have cooled down, phone recordings in which Heard admitted to hitting Depp were released in January 2020, adding fuel to an already uncontrollable flame.

At the moment, the defamation suit is still ongoing in the US. Depp is currently involved in a different legal battle, though.

JOHNNY DEPP'S LIBEL TRIAL

In early July 2020, a libel trial began in London, England, after Depp sued News Group Newspapers, The Sun's publisher, over one of their articles in which they labeled him a "wife-beater."

Sean Bett, Johnny Depp's security chief, admitted in a witness statement that Heard was verbally and physically abusive toward her ex-partner.

Bett pointed out that those violent incidents used to take place when she had been drinking. The security chief admitted that he learned to identify the signs so that he and his team could leave the situation before "it escalated further."

Some of Depp's previous romantic partners, including Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis, have also defended Depp by saying that the person that has been described by Heard's accusations was not the same man they knew and loved.

The libel trial in London is the first time that a judge will decide who is telling the truth between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. According to USA Today, the UK trial might be seen as a preview of the upcoming defamation trial that will take place in the US.