Johnny Depp Risks Millions To Save Reputation From Ex Amber Heard's Abuse Claims

Johnny Depp has gambled millions of dollars to clean his name from the allegations of his ex-wife Amber Heard who said that he was violent and abusive during their marriage.

Depp's libel trial against The Sun will have its verdict on Monday. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star spent £1.5 million ($1.9 million) in legal fees for suing The Sun's publishers NGN and its associate editor Dan Wootton after calling him a "wife beater" in an article released in April 2018. Meanwhile, NGN also spent the same amount defending their side. Depending on Justice Nicol's decision, Depp or NGN may end up with a £3 million ($3.8 million) bill.

Aside from the trial in London, Depp is also suing Heard in Virginia for an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018 in which she called herself a survivor of domestic abuse. The exes are estimated to spend $3 million each for legal fees.

Heard did not mention Depp in her article, but the "Edward Scissorhands" actor refuted her piece and stressed that Heard "is not a victim of domestic abuse, she is a perpetrator." Depp is seeking $50 million in damages from his former wife.

Steven Heffer, Head of Media & Privacy at Collyer Bristow, spoke with The Telegraph and said Depp's reputation "is very much at stake" because both parties have entirely different accounts and it just depends on "who is to be believed."

"He has brought the claim to salvage his career after allegations of domestic abuse and wife-beating. The judgment will I think be much worse for Depp if it goes against him, but will potentially have serious repercussions for Amber Heard if The Sun publishers lose the case," Heffer said.

"Depp may wonder whether he made the right choice in taking the case to trial. He might have opted instead for making a public statement denying the allegations — or simply ignored them, but with comments this serious that may not have been enough to limit the damage to his reputation and career. He may have expected the matter to settle before trial as most of these cases "

Both Alan Lewis, of New York-based Carter Ledyard & Milburn, and Mark Sableman, of St Louis-based Thompson Coburn, believe that winning the Virginia court is more important and would "truly vindicate him." The American case will be handled differently and could be heard before a jury.

Depp has the significant burden of proving that Heard lied and fabricated all her accusations against him. That's why if he succeeded it would be "a lot in reputational rehabilitation."

"If he succeeds then that’s worth a lot in reputational rehabilitation. It’s arguably more than the win in the UK - where he doesn’t get a court to determine it has been proven the allegations were false, only that the publisher didn’t prove them to be true," Lewis said.

Depp's libel case against Heard is due to go to trial in January 2021. Depp will give a three-day deposition starting Nov. 10.