The judge presiding over the defamation trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has forbidden them from taking selfies and autographs on courthouse grounds.
Depp is suing Heard for $50 million (£38.4 million) after she wrote an article for The Washington Post in which she said she had become 'a public figure representing domestic abuse'. The article did not mention Depp's name.
The trial kicked off yesterday (11 April) at Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia and is expected to run till May, where 11 jurors will come to a conclusion based on both sides.
In an order entered into the docket on 29 March, Judge Penney S. Azcarate, wrote: "Litigants and their legal teams in this trial will not pose for pictures or sign autographs in the Courthouse or on Courthouse Grounds."
Advert
Azcarate also forbids 'overnight camping' on courthouse grounds and surrounding streets, reports Insider.
It hasn't stopped fans making their way, as Raylyn Otey said she drove five hours from West Virginia to attend the trial.
She said: "Right now I'm just hoping that I'll be able to give him these flowers and that I didn't come for nothing"
The headline of Heard’s piece for The Washington Post read: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath.
Advert
"That has to change."
In 2019, Depp filed the defamation lawsuit in Fairfax County court against Heard and his ex-wife then filed an $100m (£77m) countersuit alleging lawyers acting at Depp's direction defamed her with comments claiming her accusations of domestic abuse were a ploy to ruin Depp's career.
Depp and Heard began seeing each other in 2012, married in 2015 and divorced in 2016.
In November 2020, Depp lost a libel case against UK newspaper The Sun, which centred on whether an article that labelled Depp a 'wife beater' was libellous.
Advert
The actor argued the case had been aggravated by his name being included alongside that of convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, as well as the fact The Sun retained the article on its website.
The truth of the matter was decided on the balance of probabilities, a lower standard than required in a criminal case.
Ahead of the current trial, Heard says she's going offline 'for the next several weeks'.
Advert
She wrote on Instagram: “I never named him, rather I wrote about the price women pay for speaking against men in power.
"I continue to pay that price, but hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny.
“I have always maintained a love for Johnny and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world.
“At this time, I recognise the ongoing support I’ve been fortunate to receive throughout these years, and in these coming weeks I will be leaning on it more than ever.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Johnny Depp