Johnny Depp defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard begins Tuesday in Fairfax County

The jury has been selected for Johnny Depp's defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. According to Depp's representatives, seven jurors and four alternates were chosen. Opening statements will begin Tuesday in Fairfax County.

Depp is suing his ex-wife for $50 million dollars in damages for defamation related to an op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post in December 2018 about being a survivor of domestic violence.

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The trial begins at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse at 10 a.m. Both Depp and Heard are expected to be present.

Heard filed for divorce in May 2016 just days after police were called to Depp's Los Angeles home for a domestic dispute, reports FOX 5's chief legal correspondent Katie Barlow.

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Model, Amber Heard, and her now ex-husband, Johnny Depp, leave Southport Magistrates Court, Queensland, April 18, 2016. Heard received a fine for bringing pet dogs, Pistol and Boo, illegally into Australia in 2015. (Photo by Robert Shakespeare/Fairfa

Barlow says Heard filed for a restraining order and accused Depp of domestic violence. Depp denies the allegations and alleges Heard engaged in domestic violence.

Heard filed a counterclaim for defamation against Depp in 2020 for $100 million after he allegedly calling her domestic abuse accusations a hoax.

The judge will hear both claims during this trial.

Jury selection will take place Monday and Tuesday, Barlow says. Both sides will get a chance to question each potential juror who will ultimately decide the case. There are dozens of potential witnesses -- so the trial could last well into May.