Johnny Depp missed his chance to dismiss Amber Heard’s counterclaim. Litigation between the spouses is gaining new momentum. On Tuesday, a Virginia judge denied Johnny Depp’s motion to dismiss Amber Heard’s counterclaim, ruling that the jury should decide the matter. In a counterclaim, Hollywood pet lawyer Adam Waldman tarnished the actress’ honor and caused irreparable damage to her career when he accused Amber and her friends of hoaxing violence by accusing the actress of having a personality disorder. On Tuesday morning, representatives of the ex-wife in court came up with their arguments, which prompted Johnny’s team to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
However, Depp’s lawyer, Ben Chu, argued that Waldman had expressed his opinion. Therefore, he could not defame after the actor’s representative claimed that there was no evidence that DEPP allegedly saw or knew about Waldman’s statements before filing a counterclaim. “He believed, and will continue to believe until his death, that Ms. Heard’s allegations of abuse were false,” Chu said.
But Ben Rottenborn of the team heard claims that Waldman acted as their adversary’s lawyer and that Depp is therefore responsible for his behavior. He also stated that there was ample evidence that Johnny abused Heard, and consequently, the decision to award damages in the counterclaim should be left to the jury.
Judge Penny Azkarate nevertheless rejected Depp’s application, saying that it was not her job to assess the credibility or weight of the evidence. And Amber’s representatives did the same after the actor’s team dropped the case on May 3. The Hollywood talent filed a lawsuit against the ex-wife for her previous allegations of domestic violence in a Washington Post article in December 2018. However, the judge made it clear that the jury would have to decide on both Depp’s lawsuit and Heard’s counterclaim. Source