Johnny Depp's lawyers accuse Amber Heard of falsifying domestic violence claims

Hollywood star Johnny Depp's lawyers accused his former-wife, Amber Heard, of fabricating domestic violence claims against the actor in order to advance her own career, as a defamation trial got underway in Virginia.

Depp has sued Heard for $50 million, alleging that she devastated his career when she revived her allegations against him in a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post, reports 'Variety'.

Heard's attorneys, meanwhile, argued in their opening statement on Tuesday that her allegations are entirely true, and that she had a First Amendment right to express her views.

Her attorney Ben Rottenborn argued that Depp is seeking to ruin Heard's life by pursuing the lawsuit.

"For years, all Mr. Depp has wanted to do is humiliate Amber, to haunt her, to wreck her career," Rottenborn argued, calling Depp "an obsessed ex-husband hellbent on revenge".

The trial is expected to last about six weeks, as 11 jurors will be asked to sort through a mountain of documentary evidence and conflicting testimony to decide who is telling the truth, reports 'Variety'.