Johnny Depp Winning? Amber Heard Suffers Court Embarrassment Ahead Defamation Trial
Amber Heard already tried to have the Fairfax County Circuit Court dismiss Johnny Depp's defamation case against her.
After trying hard on three occasions, Heard and her legal team received a ruling over their request to drop the defamation case. Judge Penney Azcarete just fed them with a disapproval notice, preventing the actress' lawyers from petitioning the Virginia Supreme Court to join the legal issues and help her dismiss the case.
"The defamation claim in the UK was based on completely different statements than the present case," Azcarete said in her 10-page opinion.
Heard's lawyers ultimately wanted the high court to discuss whether the case law supports combining the findings of the UK court about Depp allegedly abused her on several occasions. However, the Judge just refused the attempt to dismiss Depp's counterattack.
The upcoming defamation case could have ended if Depp won the suit he filed after his estranged wife defamed him through a damaging op-ed.
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star revealed in his March 2019 filing that Heard's write-up for The Washington Post caused him to lose his projects. Although Heard never mentioned his name, the actor lost his Captain Jack Sparrow role four days after the publication.
Meanwhile, Heard demands Depp for $100 million in damages after the actor allegedly started a campaign against her and accused her of perjury multiple times.
The Fairfax County Chief rejected the request multiple times and made it clear that the court was unpersuaded by Heard's argument.
Inside Johnny Depp's Defamation Trial
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the court rescheduled the defamation trial for April 11, 2022, in Fairfax County, Virginia. Depp and Heard will share their respective proceedings and take depositions just like the previous trial.
The $50 million defamation lawsuit is part of the alleged damages Heard brought to him, making him a victim of false allegations. Depp also accused Heard of ruining his name to advance her career.
The actor also added the $7 million separation fee he gave to Heard to the legal battle. The duo reportedly agreed to donate half of the amount. However, Depp's team reportedly found out that Elon Musk was the one who made the donation and all the other transactions under her name.
