Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel launch libel case in Dublin

Hollywood couple Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have lodged defamation proceedings in the High Court in Dublin.

International media lawyer Paul Tweed of Johnson's law firm has lodged proceedings on behalf of the star couple.

The firm will represent the couple in Europe.

“Our objective is to get them vindicated as quickly as possible,” Mr Tweed said.

He also said the case was unlikely to be heard before next summer.

The couple, who have been married for two years, claim they were defamed in an article in the European edition of Heat magazine last month.

In September, the magazine published an article and photographs of Timberlake and appeared to quote Biel in the article.

They have chosen to take the case through the Irish courts.

Separate defamation proceedings in each of the stars' names were lodged earlier this week at the High Court against the publishers of Heat, Bauer Consumer Media.

Bauer is the German-based publisher of Heat and a range of other titles.

The couple got married at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, Italy in October 2012.