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Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard reportedly has measures in place to keep the pair separated when they arrive at the courtroom. Deputies allegedly work with security teams to stagger Johnny and Amber’s entrances at the Fairfax, Virginia courthouse in attempts to avoid a run-in, according to TMZ.
The physical separation of the pair, who split in 2015 after a year of marriage, is also taken seriously once they appear in front of the judge. Johnny and Amber are taken to opposite ends of the courtroom by deputies before being escorted to individual secure areas when the court breaks for lunch, per the outlet’s sources. The arrangement can be seen in action in the clip above, where officials make sure to stand between the Hollywood stars during a break.
The trial, already filled with anecdotes of feces-deposits and finger-severing, will be back in session on May 16, where Amber will continue her testimony, including more questions from her attorney and then a cross-examination by Johnny’s legal team. Closing arguments will take place May 27 and then deliberations by the jury will begin to determine if Amber had damaged Johnny’s career when she wrote an op-ed about surviving domestic abuse for The Washington Post, although she did not name any individuals in the piece. Johnny denies all allegations. However, Amber countersued him for $100 million, claiming Johnny and his team embarked on a smear campaign against her.
Early on in the trial, a source EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife that Johnny has high hopes for the outcome of the trial, even though he lost his U.K. libel lawsuit case against British tabloid The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater.” “Despite everything that went down with the case in London, Johnny is feeling more and more confident as the days in court for this trial have progressed,” the insider explained. “This time around feels very different since they’re back in the States and Johnny has supporters who weren’t able to be there for him previously.”