8 h, apr 8, 2022 y - COURTHOUSE NEWS A Hollywood trial on the East Coast kicks off next week

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FAIRFAX, Va. (CN) — The trial of actress Amber Heard has been a long, arduous and unfailingly dramatic journey — and it has not yet begun.

Actor Johnny Depp sued Heard, his ex-wife, in 2019 for defamation after she wrote an op-ed describing herself as a domestic abuse survivor.

The proceedings begin Monday and could linger for the next two months in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Chief Circuit Judge Penney Azcarate will preside. It will be televised on the Court TV broadcast network, viewed by many from the comfort of their sofas and also watched by a limited number of determined spectators allowed in the courtroom. Witnesses could include actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, who are set to appear by video, among others.

Inevitably, it will all be discussed and dissected on social media. A study of contrasts, the trial will be an undeniably salacious dust-up involving serious issues of defamation, domestic violence and assault.

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