Johnny Depp is ‘pleased’ that Amber Heard’s motion to dismiss the defamation action was refused by the judge overseeing his case.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star’s spokesperson issued a statement to Us Weekly on his behalf, revealing that Depp is overjoyed that his case will now be heard.

“We are happy with Chief Judge Azcarate’s determination to continue the trial after (Heard’s lawyer) Mr. Rottenborn failed to convince the court that there was justification to dismiss the case,” the statement said.

“We remain optimistic about the case’s future and the continuous dissemination of the truth,” it continues.

“Over the last three and a half weeks, we’ve seen and heard from approximately 30 witnesses who have witnessed to and corroborated Mr. Depp’s assertions that Ms. Heard defamed him in her 2018 op-ed,” the statement stated.

“As a result of Ms. Heard’s irresponsible op-ed, he lost a $22.5 million agreement with Disney for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, resulting in a total loss of revenues of more than $40 million since December 18, 2018.”

“Numerous witnesses have stated that Ms. Heard participated in psychological, verbal, and physical violence toward Mr. Depp,” the statement ended.

Earlier, Heard’s attorneys requested Judge Penney Azcarate to dismiss the action after Depp’s attorneys rested their case in Fairfax County Circuit Court after three weeks of testimony.

They claimed Depp had failed to establish he was defamed by an op-ed published in The Washington Post in December 2018 in which Heard identified herself as a “public figure symbolising domestic abuse.”