A Complete Timeline of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Ongoing Legal Battle

It’s been three years since Amber Heard filed for divorce from Johnny Depp. Since then, the two have made headlines over Heard’s allegations of abuse against Depp, which he has denied, and their very public legal battle.

Most recently, Depp’s legal team stated their intent to subpoena James Franco over surveillance footage of the Pineapple Express star entering an elevator with the actress after she reportedly had a fight with Depp. According to The Blast, Depp plans to subpoena Franco to have him sit for a deposition in the defamation lawsuit Depp filed against Heard.

“We are interested in James Franco and Elon Musk as fact witnesses because we have evidence they are men who saw Amber Heard’s face in the days and nights between when she claimed Mr. Depp smashed her in the face on May 21 and when she went to court with painted on ‘bruises’ to obtain a Temporary Restraining Order on May 27,” Depp’s attorney Adam Waldman told the outlet.

However, Heard’s attorney Eric M. George told E! News the video of Franco and Heard is “irrelevant.”

“Amber Heard and James Franco once lived in the same apartment complex and were simply taking an elevator at the same time. Period,” he stated. “Johnny Depp and his team have been trying—and failing—to place a salacious story based on this irrelevant footage for weeks. It’s pathetic.” 

Depp and Heard’s legal battle has been going on for years. For a history on the matter, read on below.

February 2015: Heard and Depp marry at the ages of 28 and 51, respectively.

May 2016: The actress files for divorce from the Pirates of the Caribbean star after 15 months of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Less than a week later, she files a domestic violence restraining order against Depp, which is granted.

“During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me,” she writes in court documents obtained by E! News. “I endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry hostile, humiliating and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.”

Photos of her with bruises on her face also spread.

In a court filing, Depp’s attorney wrote, “Amber is attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse.”

August 2016:

TMZ shares a video in which it claims Depp can be seen throwing a wine bottle and a glass in a kitchen with Heard also in the room. The Aquaman star denies leaking the footage. 

Later that month, Heard and her ex reach a $7 million divorce settlement. Heard donates the entire amount to the American Civil Liberties Union, with a particular focus to help stop violence against women, and to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. 

December 2016: Depp requests $100,000 in court sanctions from Heard. In court documents obtained by E! News, his legal team writes Heard “continues to needlessly litigate a case which has been settled, all while parading in front of the media in a desperate attempt to extend her 15 minutes of fame.” 

He also asks to deduct the same from his next equalization payment should she fail to contribute the amount to his attorney’s fees and costs as sanctions. 

Heard’s attorney calls the move “just another lame attempt by Mr. Depp and his team to not pay my client the money she is owed.”

January 2017: Heard responds to Depp’s request for $100,000 in court sanctions and assures the court she is committed to a quick resolution of their divorce.

“Johnny has delayed the resolutions of this matter,” she states in documents obtained by E! News. “I want my life back. I want to be divorced from Johnny now.” 

A judge later rules the actress does not have to pay the actor’s attorney fees, and their divorce is finalized that month.

October 2018: Depp references Heard’s allegations against him in an interview with British GQ.

“The thing that hurt me is being presented as something that you’re really as far away from as you could possibly get, you know?” he told the magazine. 

After the story is published, Heard’s team slams the publication and Depp.

“Mr. Depp is shamefully continuing his psychological abuse of Ms. Heard, who has attempted to put a very painful part of her life firmly in her past,” a spokesperson told Page Six. “One need only look at the physical evidence to draw the proper conclusion.”

December 2018: Heard writes an op-ed for The Washington Post about her experience with abuse and her decision to speak out. She never mentions Depp’s name.

January 2019: Depp’s attorney tells E! News they’ve “filed a partial list of evidence that we will use to disprove the fraudulent underlying allegations against Mr. Depp.” Included in the filing are references to dozens of video security tapes,” as well as “eyewitness statements, newly discovered sworn affidavits and deposition transcripts from 2016, and text messages between the Sun and their #metoo source.”

The evidence is said to be used in Depp’s libel case against The Sun, which ran an article in which he was referred to as a “wife-beater.”

March 2019: Depp files a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard over the op-ed. In court documents, Depp alleges his ex’s allegations were part of an “elaborate hoax” to “advance her career.” He also claims her allegations negatively impacted his career and that Heard “violently abused” him. In addition, he accuses Heard of “spending time in a new relationship” with her former boyfriend, Elon Musk, during their marriage. 

Heard’s attorney refers to the lawsuit as a “frivolous action” and the “latest of Johnny Depp’s repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard.” 

April 2019: Heard files a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and details the abuse she allegedly experienced from Depp. She claims the actor hit her, choked her and shoved her. She also claims Depp “would become a totally different person” whom she called “Johnny ‘the Monster.'”

“The only way for Amber Heard to sustain her hoax is to shift to new lies,” Depp’s lawyer says in part of his response.

Still, Heard’s lawyer claims Depp “physically and verbally abused” Heard.

“Since their divorce, Mr. Depp has continued to publicly harass Ms. Heard, and attempted to gaslight the world by denying his abuse,” her attorney’s statement reads. “It is long past time for Mr. Depp’s despicable conduct to end.  Today, we presented to the court irrefutable evidence of Mr. Depp’s abuse.  It is regrettable that it will take a judge to finally end the persistent harassment of Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp, but Ms. Heard will take whatever action is necessary to vindicate the truth.”

May 2019: Depp submits a lengthy declaration of support for his defamation lawsuit against his ex. In court documents obtained by E! News, Depp claims Heard “painted on bruises.” He also accuses her of causing him “seriously bodily injury.” Heard’s attorney denies all allegations made against Heard, stating “The evidence in this case is clear: Johnny Depp repeatedly beat Amber Heard.”

July 2019: Depp’s team states its plans to subpoena James Franco over surveillance footage of the Pineapple Express star entering an elevator with Heard after she reportedly had a fight with Depp.

Heard’s attorney calls the video of Franco and Heard “irrelevant.”