Johnny Depp's Lawyer Claims Amber Heard’s Public Image Is Her 'Number One Priority'

Johnny Depp’s lawyer has claimed Amber Heard tried to ‘avoid public humiliation’ after the couple split and accused her of being ‘obsessed with her public image’. 

Depp is currently suing his ex-wife in a $50 million (£38.2 million) defamation lawsuit over domestic abuse claims she made in an article in The Washington Post. 

Heard, 35, has since come forward with a counterclaim against 58-year-old Depp worth $100 million (£76.7m). 

During opening arguments, Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez told the court they would hear testimony from Heard’s former personal assistant Kate James who would say the actor is ‘obsessed with her public image’ adding that ‘it’s her number one priority’. 

Vasquez also alleged that Heard ‘tried to avoid public humiliation and present herself as a noble survivor and representative of the ‘me too’ movement’ after the couple split. 

Vasquez said Heard was awarded a $7 million (£5.3m) divorce settlement following their break up, which she had promised to give to two charities - American Civil Liberties Union and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles - but say she didn’t hand over the money. 

Depp’s case is centred on a 2018 article she wrote in The Washington Post in which she discussed her experiences of domestic abuse.

Depp’s lawyers say the article falsely implies Heard was physically and sexually abused by him when they were married.

He says the accusations have made it difficult for him to get the sorts of roles he used to, and launched the 50 million dollar (£38.2 million) lawsuit in 2019.

Addressing the jury, Benjamin Chew, representing Depp, said: “Some of you might recognise Johnny Depp from his portrayal of such characters as Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow.

“For over 30 years he has built a career as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood.

“Today his name is associated with a lie. A false statement uttered by his former wife, Amber Heard.”

Depp’s lawyers’ claim the actor’s reputation has been left in tatters following Heard’s allegations of abuse. 

They say his reputation has been ‘forever changed’, as ‘a false allegation can devastate a career’. 

Chew said the lie had cast Mr Depp as a villain, a man who would violently abuse a woman’.

“This is a case about how devastating words can be. Words matter,” he said.