Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's lawyers gave their opening statements during the libel trial in Virginia on Tuesday.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing his ex-wife for $50 million (£38 million) over a Washington Post op-ed she wrote in December 2018 in which she described herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse".
The Aquaman actress is countersuing Depp for $100 million (£77 million), claiming his former lawyer defamed her by rejecting the abuse claims.
The trial began with jury selection at the Fairfax County Courthouse on Monday, and their lawyers gave jurors a preview of what they would hear during the next six weeks in their opening statements on Tuesday.
Heard's lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn predicted a "spectacle" trial in which "you're going to see who the real Johnny Depp is, behind the fame, behind the pirate costumes."
"I am sorry Amber will have to relive (the alleged incidents), but that is the case Depp chose to bring, and we're not going to stand by and let them sling mud and make inflated, false statements," he added, reports USA Today.
Depp's lawyer, Benjamin Chew, gave his opening statements.
"Today, Johnny Depp's name is associated with a lie," Chew said, referring to the question of whether Depp abused Heard. "By choosing to lie about her husband for her own personal benefit, (Heard) forever changed Mr. Depp's life and reputation. You will hear him tell you the dreadful influence it had on his life."
His co-counsel, Camille Vasquez, added, "(Depp) will go to his grave knowing there are people out there in the world who believe he abused a woman. We will ask you to tell the world that he is not the abuser that she described."
The first witness to take to the stand was Depp's older sister Christi Dembrowski, who also worked as his longtime personal manager. She recalled their abusive childhood, said she expressed concern about the couple's fights, claimed Heard once called him an "old fat man", and stated she was "devastated" when he married the actress in 2015. They split the following year.
Dembrowski is expected to return to the stand on Wednesday. Depp and Heard, who were both present in court, will also testify during the trial.
