Timeline: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation lawsuit

How did it get to here? This is a timeline of the events that led to the legal battle

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Johnny Depp is set to meet ex-wife Amber Heard in US court again to battle a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit.

Here is a timeline of the legal twists and turns of the tumultuous Hollywood romance.

2011

Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard begin dating after meeting on the set of comedy film The Rum Diary.

Early 2013

Mr Depp is alleged to have been physically violent to Ms Heard for the first time.

Ms Heard claims the actor slapped her three times after she joked about a tattoo he got on his arm during his relationship with actress Winona Ryder. He denies the allegation.

Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard begin dating after meeting on the set of comedy film The Rum Diary (Yui Mok/PA)

2015

Mr Depp and Ms Heard marry at a private ceremony in Los Angeles in February.

The couple takes a trip to Australia in March which Ms Heard describes as “a three-day hostage situation,” claiming Mr Depp is abusive while drinking heavily and taking drugs.

Mr Depp again denies the allegations and says Ms Heard lost her temper after a conversation about a post-nuptial agreement.

April 2016

In May, the pair separate after an incident in which Ms Heard claims Mr Depp became angry at their LA penthouse and destroyed property with a bottle of champagne.

Ms Heard files a petition for the dissolution of their marriage as well as a temporary domestic violence restraining order, which prevents Mr Depp from contacting her.

The estranged couple reach an agreement concerning the dissolution of their marriage. Ms Heard later donates her seven million US dollar (£5.5 million) settlement to charity.

2017

The couple become formally divorced in January.

2018

Mr Depp files his libel claim against News Group Newspapers – the owner of The Sun in 2018 (Victoria Jones/PA)

An article by The Sun newspaper’s executive editor Dan Wootton is published in April, in which he refers to Mr Depp as a “wife-beater” in the headline.

The actor files his libel claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN) – the owner of The Sun.

Ms Heard publishes an op-ed in the Washington Post in December which deals with her personal experiences of domestic violence.

It is titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change”, but does not mention Mr Depp by name.

2019

Mr Depp launches a 50 million dollar (£38 million) defamation lawsuit against Ms Heard, with his lawyers claiming the article falsely implies she was physically and sexually abused by the actor when they were married.

He claims the piece caused him to be dropped from the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and that Ms Heard was the one who had been abusive towards him.

2020

The pair meet in the Royal Courts Of Justice in London for Mr Depp’s NGN libel suit which was delayed due to the coronavirus crisis.

Following a 16-day trial in July, a judge finds the content of the article proven to be “substantially true”.

Following a 16-day trial in London July a judge finds the content of the article by The Sun proven to be ‘substantially true’ (Yui Mok/PA)

Mr Justice Nicol refuses Mr Depp’s application for permission to appeal against his ruling at the Court of Appeal.

Mr Depp’s lawyers file grounds of appeal with the Court of Appeal, arguing the actor “did not receive a fair trial” and that Mr Justice Nicol’s ruling is “plainly wrong” and “manifestly unsafe”.

2021

The UK Court Of Appeal refuses permission for Mr Depp to appeal against the High Court ruling.

2022

Mr Depp’s 2019 defamation case against Ms Heard, also delayed due to the pandemic, is set to begin on April 11.

Witness lists reveal that several high-profile celebrities are due to give testimony including, actors James Franco and Paul Bettany and Tesla founder Elon Musk.