(NOTE CONTENT) In a Virginia courtroom today, attorneys for Amber Heard were unsuccessful in their motion to lobby Judge Penny Azcarate to dismiss the $50 million defamation lawsuit leveled against the actress by her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
As reported, Depp is alleging a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post that obliquely accused the actor of physical and sexual abuse, was not only false, but it devastated his reputation and career.
Attorneys for both parties took turns in oral arguments to the judge without the jury present, with Depp’s attorneys mounting a longer, point-by-point defense of why the case should proceed, including a recap of the testimony detailing how the ACLU helped Heard craft her controversial op-ed, and the abuse the Pirates of the Caribbean star allegedly suffered at the hands of the Aquaman actress.
“She even lied about the final insult left on the marital bed,” one of Depp’s attorneys added, regarding the testimony about the poop Depp’s camp says Heard left in their bedroom.
In the end, Judge Azcarate ruled for the plaintiff, Depp, noting, “if there is a scintilla of evidence that a reasonable juror could weigh, then the matter survives a motion to strike.”
She added, there is, “evidence that jurors could weigh that the [op-ed] statements were about the plaintiff, that the statements were published and that the statement was false,” and “that the defendant made the statement knowing it to be false or…made it so recklessly as to amount to willful disregard for the truth…”
The judge then declared the case will resume following a lunch break.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Olivia Rodrigo forced to cancel show in Manchester, England: “so bummed”
May 2, 2024
Disney/Randy HolmesOlivia Rodrigo just learned the hard way that playing in a brand-new concert…
‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’s’ Jonah Hauer-King on the drama’s timeless message
May 2, 2024
PeacockA heart-wrenching love story is at the center of the new limited series The Tattooist of…
Dan Schneider sues ‘Quiet on Set’ producers for defamation, calls series a “hit job”
May 2, 2024
Eric Vitale/Getty ImagesDan Schneider filed a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against the creators…
Paul Walter Hauser joining Liam Neeson for ‘Naked Gun’ reboot, and more
May 2, 2024
Paul Walter Hauser has been tapped to star alongside Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson in Paramount…
Carl Clemons-Hopkins says ‘Hacks’ season 3 is worth the wait
May 2, 2024
Clemons-Hopkins, Smart - Max/Beth DubberMax's Emmy-winning comedy Hacks returns for a third season…
Dua Lipa talks dealing with online hate: “I get a real kick out of proving people wrong”
May 2, 2024
Courtesy Apple MusicDua Lipa is a global pop superstar and says the criticism she got early in her…
Music notes: Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez and more
May 1, 2024
Olivia Rodrigo might just be in lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love. At the Tuesday, April 30,…
Producer says it was Ryan Gosling’s idea to use Taylor Swift song for ‘The Fall Guy’
May 1, 2024
UniversalIf you only know one thing about The Fall Guy, it's probably that in one scene Ryan…