Johnny Depp Wins Big AGAIN in $50M Defamation Suit Against Amber Heard: report
Amber Heard faced a huge loss again after a Virginia-based judge revealed that Johnny Depp's defamation case will be pushed through.
On Tuesday, Fairfax County Chief Judge Penney Azcarate dismissed Heard's motion to stop the case. The actress already attempted to dismiss it thrice since Depp first filed it in March 2019.
As reported by USA Today, the "Aquaman" actress mentioned the ruling of a London judge about Depp being a wife beater. At that time, The Sun won the case as its article about Depp's alleged domestic abuse was not "libelous" at all.
However, Judge Azcarate reasoned out that the $50 million defamation case is different from the London lawsuit. Thus, the actress' reasons that pushed her to file the motion ultimately got trashed.
"Defendant's claim that refusing to recognize the U.K. judgment in this case would set a dangerous precedent is unfounded," the Virginia judge said in the document. "If anything, upholding English libel judgments in the United States would create the chilling effect and could create a dangerous precedent."
Judge Azcarate went on to say that the court was unpersuaded by Heard's argument.
Victory For Johnny Depp
Following the judge's ruling, Depp and his team expressed their gratitude over the major victory.
The lawyer of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor, Benjamin Chew of Brown Rudnick in Washington D.C., said that they are very thankful for the court's decision. This will reportedly out the truth about the ongoing war between Depp and Heard which began soon after their divorce in 2016.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the defamation trial has been scheduled for April 11, 2022, in Fairfax County, Virginia. Both of the parties are expected to present proceedings and take depositions, as usual.
The case filed in Virginia was rooted in Heard's article published by the Washington Post, saying that she became a victim of domestic abuse. Though she did not mention his name on the said op-ed, Depp knew that she was referring to him as it caused him to suffer financial losses.
The Associated Press revealed that the actor lost his career because of the article, including his role in the award-winning film franchise "Pirates of the Carribean."
The $50 million defamation lawsuit is part of the alleged damages Heard brought to him that made him a victim of false allegations. The actress reportedly did it to advance her career.
