For Aquaman 2 star Amber Heard, actions like these are understandable even if they turn out to be fruitless. With all the evidence piling up against her, the odds of the defamation suit Johnny Depp has filed against her being dropped were slim to none, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth a shot.
Heard and her legal team recently made a bid to dismiss Depp's civil suit against her, to which the motion was denied by Judge Penny Azcarate. Heard's lawyer, Ben Rottenborn, filed the motion on the premise that there is "ample evidence" that Depp abused her during their marriage, which would disprove Depp's claim of defamation. Rottenborn included that if Depp abused her “even one time, then she wins. It’s that simple.”
Depp's lawyer Ben Chew opposed the motion, saying that not only did Heard's "false allegations" meet the criteria for defamation, but he pointed right at Heard and said that the evidence proves that she was the abuser in their marriage. Judge Azcarate denied the motion for dismissal based on Rottenborn's first two statements but will take the third one under advisement. So now, everything will continue to proceed in the defamation suit. Thus far, the court has heard Depp's side of the story as well as his witnesses, whose testimonies support his claims that Heard not only defamed him but also serve as evidence that she was the abusive one in their marriage. Now, the court is going to get Heard's side of the story in this suit. It appears that Heard will testify on her behalf to plead her case as well as bring in her own witnesses. The public should very much be looking forward to this because now they are going to see how mutually toxic their marriage was, and how Heard will respond to the narrative that she was the abuser.
No matter what happens in this trial, one thing is for sure as of now: Heard has lost in the court of public opinion until further notice. People can come to their own conclusions about what really went on between her and Depp during their marriage, but no one knows what happened outside the evidence that has been presented, which strongly supports Depp. On the other side, there is plenty of legitimate proof that Heard manipulated, gaslit, and abused Depp verbally and physically based on recordings, photos, and testimony presented thus far. There was extreme toxicity in this relationship, and it's clear that Heard perpetrated a lot of it.
And the worst part about this whole thing is that it didn't have to go this route. Heard could have accepted the divorce settlement and moved on with her life. When she wrote that op-ed that implicated Depp as an abuser, she forced his hand. In spite of the evidence he had against his ex-wife, Depp didn't want these details to come out about their personal lives but knew he had to unveil them if he wanted to salvage both his career and his public image. And now, with all the evidence that has come out, the tables have turned on her, at least until she tells her side of the story.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released in theaters on March 17, 2023.
Source: The Independent