Aquaman star Amber Heard has had her request to dismiss Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against her denied by a Virginia judge.
In December 2018, The Washington Post published an opinion piece on domestic violence written by Amber Heard. Although the article did not mention Johnny Depp by name, the actor and his lawyers claim Amber Heard tarnished his reputation because readers would believe the Aquaman star was referring to him when she wrote, “Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”
In response, Johnny Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Amber Heard, which Fairfax County Chief Judge Bruce White has allowed to move forward. In an opinion letter to lawyers of both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, Judge White wrote:
“Defendant’s Demurrer is sustained as to the fourth statement listed above, but it is overruled as to the other three statements. […] Further, Defendant’s Plea in Bar regarding the statute of limitations is denied. Counsel shall prepare an Order reflecting the Court’s ruling and forward that Order to the Court for entry.”
Amber Heard’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, told the following to Deadline following Judge White’s decision:
“Today’s decision leaves it to a jury to decide the meaning of Ms. Heard’s op-ed and the truth of what she said. As we have said all along, the courts have strong mechanisms in place for determining the truth. Here, we remain confident that Ms. Heard will prevail at trial when the jury is presented with evidence on the question that the Court identified – namely, whether ‘Ms. Heard was abused by Mr. Depp.”
Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the legal battles between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp as it develops.
Johnny Depp is currently set to reprise his role as Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beasts movie while Amber Heard is expected to return as Mera in the Aquaman sequel. In the meantime, fans can revisit Amber Heard’s first full appearance as Mera on all home media formats of Aquaman.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an acition-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be… a king.
Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm / Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.
Aquaman is available on Digital HD, 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD.
Source: Deadline
