Johnny Depp libel trial set to begin in LondonJuly 7, 2020 - 11:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The long-anticipated showdown between the Hollywood stars Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard opens in a British courtroom in a libel trial on Tuesday, July 7, The Guardian reports. Highly embarrassing allegations about the former couple’s private lives have already spilled out during bitter pre-trial hearings in which the Pirates of the Caribbean actor tried to stop Heard from attending court until she is due to give evidence. The legal drama, scheduled to run for three weeks, is being spaced out across five courts in the Royal Courts of Justice due to the need to respect social distancing. The cost in lawyers’ fees and court facilities will run into millions, though any damages eventually awarded are likely to be far lower. Depp, 57, is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) and the Sun’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article published in 2018 that referred to the film star as a “wife beater”. The article related to allegations made against Depp by Heard, 34, that he was violent towards her during their marriage. He strenuously denies the claims and is also pursuing her in a separate libel battle over the issue in the US. Both Heard and Depp are expected to attend the London trial, having, it is believed, already travelled to the UK from their homes in California and France respectively. Depp’s lawyers will seek to prove the Sun’s allegations are not true and amount to “serious harm” as defined in the Defamation Act 2013. They are likely to argue that the accusations of abuse have lost him lucrative film roles. Photo: David M Benett/WireImage Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |