How to LIVESTREAM Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial: What to expect from star-studded legal battle

A number of well-known people including Elon Musk and James Franco are to appear as witnesses in the trial

UPDATED APR 9, 2022

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's court trial is to start on April 11 in Fairfax, Virginia (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

Johnny Depp's long-awaited defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard will begin on Monday, April 11. After Heard filed for a domestic violence restraining order against him in May 2016, accusing the actor of beating her, the couple split up. Depp rejected the allegations, and the former couple reached an out-of-court settlement in August 2016.

Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 35, over an op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post in 2018 on surviving domestic violence, though she didn't name Depp in the piece. Depp in the suit has accused Heard of severing his finger by throwing a bottle at him during a fight between them. Though initially Depp didn’t reveal it to protect his ex-wife, he later came out claiming that she assaulted him. The trial in Fairfax, Virginia, is expected to begin next week after multiple postponements since Depp first filed the $50 million case in March 2019.

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The London trial

Earlier, Depp lost his widely publicized UK libel case against British newspaper The Sun for labeling him a "wife-beater" in November 2020. The outlet's accusations were found to be "substantially true" by the court, and Heard testified to back up the claims. The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star's petition to reverse the decision was denied in March 2021. However, because Depp is suing Heard directly rather than through a media corporation in the libel lawsuit, her obligations and requirements to participate in the proceedings are different this time.

Depp’s lawsuit was continued

Heard had earlier requested for Depp's Virginia suit to be dismissed, arguing that the UK ruling should govern the proceedings in the United States as both lawsuits rely on allegations of abuse by Depp. However, in August 2021, a Virginia judge allowed Depp to continue his lawsuit, rejecting Heard's additional appeal to dismiss the case. The upcoming trial is distinct from the London trial as on April 11, 2022, the trial charges will be decided by a jury rather than a judge alone, as was the situation in the United Kingdom.

Actor James Franco will virtually be a witness for Amber Heard's court trial. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for IFP)

Who is involved in the upcoming trial?

A number of well-known people are about to come as witnesses in the trial. Heard will have her pal James Franco, actress Ellen Barkin, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk testify virtually as witnesses for her at the trial, according to Deadline. After the star's texts with Depp were made public in the previous trial, 'WandaVision' actor Paul Bettany will testify virtually for Depp. Heard earlier testified in a court that she told Franco about her bruises allegedly from Depp. Meanwhile, Depp claimed that Heard was in an affair with Elon Musk "no later than one month after" she and Depp married.

Depp accused his ex-wife Amber Heard to have been in an affair with Elon Musk while they both were married. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIME)

Where to watch?

For those interested in the proceedings, Court TV is broadcasting live coverage of the trial, both on TV and online. "Court cases that are as high-profile as this one often create a lot of noise, and it can be difficult for viewers to break through these distractions to have a clear picture of the facts, but that's where we come in," said Ethan Nelson, acting head of Court TV, in a press statement. "Between the camera feed directly from the courtroom and our first-class lineup of talent, Court TV will be the true source of an unbiased, down-the-middle perspective of the trial as it unfolds."