The Aquaman actress Amber Heard has a message for Johnny Depp ahead of their defamation trials filed against each other. She hopes that the actor can move on post the trials that will begin on April 11, 2022. The actress will go off social media due to her presence in Fairfax County, Virginia where the trials start. Heard has also thanked the people for their backing and feels fortunate to receive it as she will lean on that in the coming weeks.
Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Are Embroiled In Defamation Case
The series of cases originated after an op-ed that Amber wrote in 2018 for Washington Post. The article was titled, ” I spoke up against sexual violence- and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” The article included the systematic guard that is provided to male abusers in Hollywood and beyond.
In the piece, she has described the experiences of assault that the actress witnessed since “the time I was of college age.” She also included the statements about her experiences of domestic violence without mentioning her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
In response to this, Johnny Depp filed a defamation, libel case of $50 million against his ex-wife in 2019. The complaint stated that though there was no explicit mention of his name, Heard directed the article towards Johnny. The claim also mentions the harm that her piece caused to Johnny Depp and his career. Following this, Warner Bros. cut ties with Johnny Depp amidst his legal trials. He was replaced in the Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts.
Amber Heard also filed a countersuit to the libel lawsuit against him of $100 million. She claimed that her husband retributed by degrading her image by interfering in her professional life and employing social media bots against her. In response to this, a public statement was issued by Depp’s lawyer calling Amber’s statements a “sexual violence hoax” and “fake”. Amber posed counterclaims.
Johnny Depp Appealed For Immunity
Right before the trials of the Depp and Amber’s cases, Johnny filed a libel case against the U.K. publication The Sun. The case was filed because the tabloid called the actor a “wife-beater.” The case concluded in 2020 when it was proved that the claims made by Heard were “substantially true.” He appealed again, but the judges refused to hear the appeal as they did not permit the actor to challenge the High Court’s decision.
Due to the failure, Heard appealed to dismiss the libel case that he filed against her. The “inherent difference” between the statements and the cases, the Virginia Court did not heed the appeal. He asked for immunity over his statements made about Heard, but a judge ruled that he’d still have to face the counterclaims of his ex-wife.
Amber Said That She Has Always Maintained Her Love For Johnny Depp
As she informed the fans about her flight from social media, she also mentioned in the statement, “I have always maintained a love for Johnny.” She added further, “It brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world.”
In 2015, Heard, then 23, married Depp, 46, with Heard filing for divorce in May 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized in 2017.
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