Judge Deals Amber Heard A Major Blow In Trial Against Johnny Depp

If you thought the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial was winding down, think again. 

Amid the fourth consecutive week of court proceedings, Depp's ex-wife, Heard, was dealt a significant blow by the judge. As you may recall, Heard first attempted to get Depp's $50 million defamation suit dismissed in April 2019 to no avail, per The Cut. She then promptly countersued Depp for $100 million, citing that Depp's claims that she had been dishonest about the abuse negatively impacted her reputation. "This stream of false and defamatory accusations against Ms. Heard is all in an attempt to ruin her life and career, simply because she was a victim of domestic abuse and violence and the hands of Mr. Depp, and had the audacity and temerity to finally come forward to end the abuse and violence," the official court documents alleged. Alas, the hits keep coming for the "Aquaman" actor... 

It's not over... until it's over.

On May 3, Amber Heard's attorney, Ben Rottenborn, attempted a highly anticipated Hail Mary pass and asked Judge Penney Azcarate to dismiss the case altogether. "The court should grant the motion to strike because the undisputed evidence is that he did, in fact, abuse Amber," Rottenborn said. Meanwhile, Johnny Depp's attorney, Benjamin Chew, argued that Depp had indeed shown sufficient evidence as to how Depp's career was damaged by the op-ed Heard penned for The Washington Post in 2018. "The court should deny defendant Amber Heard's motion to strike because Mr. Depp has come forward in his case in chief with multiple credible witnesses, documents, and authentic tape recordings of Ms. heard, herself, not only satisfying all of the requisite elements of his claim for defamation, including actual malice, but also going the extra mile of showing that Ms. Heard physically abused him. She is the abuser in this courtroom," he declared emphatically. In the end, Azcarate denied the motion to strike, stating that the "weight of that evidence is up to the fact-finders," aka the jury. 

Afterward, Depp's team relished the small victory. "We are pleased at Chief Judge Azcarate's ruling to continue with the trial after Mr. Rottenborn failed to convince the court that there was reason to dismiss the case," Depp's rep told Us Weekly. "We stand confident in the future of the case and for the truth to be continued to be shared."