Johnny Depp’s lawyers rested their defamation trial case against Amber Heard on Tuesday after 13 days of testimony, and moments later, Heard’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the entire case. However, Judge Penny Azcaret rejected the motion on two counts, though she also stated that she would take the third count — one involving retweeting a Washington Post opinion piece in the center of the case — under supervision at this time. The trial will go ahead.
Heard’s attorney, Ben Rothenborn, petitioned to dismiss the lawsuit largely as a formality in the proceedings as Azcaret was not actually expected to dismiss the case. Instead, a refusal request was more likely to ensure that the specific appeal rights of the defense were preserved if an appeal was necessary. In terms of the evidence in the case, Azcaret noted, “the weight of that evidence is up to the fact-finders.” It is not clear when the judge will rule on the defamation lawsuit regarding Heard’s tweet.
Depp and Heard fought legal battles for several years after their divorce. In 2016. In November 2020, Depp lost a highly publicized British defamation lawsuit against the British tabloid the sun which described the actor as a “wife beater”. The court sided with the tabloid, finding the allegations “largely true”. As for the current defamation case, the case stems from an opinion piece written by Al-Qalb in 2018 Washington Post In which she wrote about being a victim of domestic and sexual violence and especially how speaking out about the abuse negatively affected her career. Heard did not mention Depp’s name in the opinion piece. Depp, who is suing Heard for $50 million in the lawsuit, claims the editorial led him to miss out on movie roles and other opportunities. Depp denied the accusations that he abused Heard, insisting instead that she was the abuser. The proceedings in the case are broadcast on court television.
“Court cases like this often cause a lot of noise, and it can be difficult for viewers to break through these distractions to get a clear picture of the facts, but that’s where we come in,” Acting Television Judge Ethan Nelson said in a statement. “Between live camera feeds from the courtroom and our top-tier talent lineup, Courthouse Television will be the true source of an unbiased and mediocre perspective on the trial as it unfolds.”
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