In his multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp has lost a major victory.
The world has been watching Depp and Heard’s situation attentively, with the former losing a lawsuit against The Sun in 2020 in the “biggest libel trial of the 21st century,” according to the tabloid.
According to The Guardian, Depp is seeking $50 million in damages against Heard’s $100 million countersuits in a defamation action set to begin next month over an article Heard wrote for the Washington Post in 2018 about domestic abuse.
According to Depp’s lawyers, the piece erroneously alleges that Depp physically and erotically mistreated Heard during their marriage.
However, Virginia Judge Penney Azcarate ruled on Thursday, March 24, that Heard, 35, could plead for immunity in front of a jury because the piece was deemed to be of public interest.
The former Fantastic Beasts star, 58, was attempting to prevent Heard from utilising the state’s anti-Slapp statute, which allows anyone to argue against nuisance lawsuits when discussing subjects of public interest.
The complaint, filed in 2019, requested $50 million in damages over an essay Heard wrote for the Bezos-owned publication entitled: “I spoke up against s***** violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
Elaine Bredehoft, Heard’s lawyer, stated that Johnny Depp was not mentioned in the article, but Benjamin Chew, Depp’s legal counsel, argued that such anti-Slapp provisions are not intended to be used in private disputes. Domestic abuse, for example, is, of course, in the public domain, according to Bredehoft.
According to the Mail Online, Depp’s lawyers have transferred the case to Fairfax, Virginia, where anti-Slapp laws are less stringent, while Heard’s lawyers are attempting to return the case to California, where they both live. Because the Washington Post’s web servers are based there, Depp was able to shift the trial.
The April 11 trial is anticipated to feature a slew of A-list celebrity witnesses, including James Franco, Elon Musk, Paul Bettany of Marvel, and J.K Rowling.
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