Amber Heard’s legal team filed a motion for dismissing Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit, the judge rejected their request following listening to the arguments of both sides. On 3rd May, Johnny Depp’s legal team concluded their witness list and rested its case. As Amber Heard’s lawyers prepare their witnesses to rake the stand and testify, her attorney Ben Rottenborn thought it was a good idea to ask the judge to dismiss Depp’s lawsuit. He argued that Johnny’s attorneys don’t have sufficient evidence to prove that defamation took place.
Whereas Benjamin Chew, Johnny Depp’s lawyer, recapped all the witness depositions, arguing that it established Johnny Depp’s career and public image were damaged following Amber’s Washington Post article in 2018. Although, the actress never directly adressed Johnny in her piece as she wrote that she felt “the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out”. Chew stated that Heard was the abuser in their marriage not Johnny. During his final arguments in trial, Rottenborn brought the “disputed evidence” of abuse shown by the plaintiff, telling the judge, “I can tell you, she is not the abuser, and if the case moves forward, she and her witnesses will put on even more evidence of the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of Mr Depp.”
Rottenborn added that Johnny’s witnesses told that domestic abuse can take any form not just physical, “Even under their standard, the undisputed evidence is that Mr Depp did committ abuse against Ms Heard.” But after closely examining the evidence in the case, judge Penney Azcarate dismissed the motions filed by Heard’s lawyers and observed, “weight of that evidence is up to the fact-finders”. Judge’s decision means that now a jury will decide whether the “And Soon The Darkness” actress defamed Depp via her op-ed in Washington Post.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star filed this lawsuit back in 2019 but coronavirus delayed proceedings in the case. Finally, on 11th April this year, a jury was selected and the trial started the next day. Earlier, Amber requested the judge to throw out the lawsuit citing the verdict in United Kingdom and argued that both the lawsuits were based on domestic abuse. However, judge Azcarate gave Johnny’s attorneys the green light to continue their lawsuit. Therefore, rejecting “Never Back Down” actress’s plea to dismiss the case.
