In 2019, Depp sued Heard for defamation in the United States after she wrote an op-ed in December 2018 in which she said, among other things, that she "became a public figure representing domestic abuse." The trial began in Virginia on April 11, 2022 with a verdict being reached on June 1, 2022. The verdict found Heard liable for defaming Depp on three counts and Depp liable for defaming Heard on one count.