Johnny Depp’s Defamation Suit Against ‘Aquaman’ Star Amber Heard Allowed To Move Forward In Virginia

On Thursday, a Virginia state judge ruled that Johnny Depp will be allowed to move forward in Virginia with his defamation suit against Aquaman star Amber Heard.

In December 2018, The Washington Post published an op-ed in which Aquaman star Amber Heard discussed domestic abuse. Though Amber Heard did not mention him by name in the piece, Johnny Depp believed readers would understand the Aquaman star was referring to him when writing, “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.”

Despite the fact that neither of them lives in Virginia, Johnny Depp launched a $50 million defamation suit in Virginia against Amber Heard and the Aquaman star responded by accusing him of forum-shopping a case in the state. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Amber Heard’s lawyer Eric George filed a dismissal motion arguing Johnny Depp’s case to be “an all-too-transparent ploy to stanch the ongoing damage to his reputation as a Hollywood star.”

The issue of the case was whether or not Johnny Depp was forum-shopping suit to Virginia by exploiting the fact that The Washington Post printing presses are located in the state. Ultimately, Bruce D. White, Chief Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Virginia, wrote in the opinion letter:

“The publication did not occur until December 18, 2018, when the Op-Ed was uploaded to the internet on The Washington Post’s website. […] “It was only then that the allegedly defamatory statements were read by non-interested third parties… [T]he Court finds that publication occurred in Virginia.”

Johnny Depp is currently set to reprise his role as Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beasts film while Amber Heard is expected to return as Mera in the Aquaman sequel. In the meantime, fans can revisit Amber Heard’s first 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: The Hollywood Reporter