FAIRFAX | Amber Heard’s lawyers wrapped up their case in the defamation lawsuit brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp on Tuesday, leaving the actor’s defense to call its final witnesses before the hearings are scheduled to end on Friday in court in Fairfax, near Washington.
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The lawyers of the star of Pirates of the Caribbean immediately filed a motion to dismiss the counter-complaint filed by Amber Heard.
This request, usual in the American legal system, was rejected by Judge Penney Azcarate, believing that there were enough elements for the trial to go to its end.
Penney Azcarate | AFP
Judge Penney Azcarate.
Johnny Depp, 58, claims his ex-wife ruined his reputation and career following he penned a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post, in which she claimed to have been the victim of domestic violence in 2016, without however citing her former husband. He is seeking $50 million in damages.
The actor, who testified for four days, denies having ever raised a hand on his ex-wife, assuring that it was she who was violent.
Amber Heard, who starred in major Hollywood productions Justice League et Aquamancounterattacked and claimed the double, claiming to have suffered “physical violence and assault”.
She also says she was ostracized from Hollywood and lost roles or campaigns.
According to his lawyers, his role in Aquaman 2 was greatly reduced despite the worldwide success of the first opus released at the end of 2018, due to a smear campaign by a lawyer for Johnny Depp.
Walter Hamada, president of DC Comics Productions at Warner Brothers Studios, said the production was concerned regarding the “lack of chemistry” between the actress and co-star Jason Momoa on Aquaman.
Kathryn Arnold, an expert in the entertainment industry, explained on Monday that Amber Heard’s career “was close to a meteoric rise” following the success ofAquaman. But she then suffered “a lot of negative publicity” on social networks because of this platform.
According to Kathryn Arnold, the actress lost between 45 and 50 million dollars in stamps and promotional campaigns.
Johnny Depp’s lawyers estimate he also lost nearly $40 million following the domestic abuse charges, including $22.5 million for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow he was to reprise for the sixth installment of the saga. “Pirates”.
The two actors had started an affair in October 2011 before getting married in February 2015. Amber Heard had filed for divorce in May 2016, which was pronounced in early 2017.