Amber Heard tried to have Johnny Depp's $50m defamation suit dismissed, citing that her op-ed in the Washington Post never named Depp.
But Chief Judge Bruce D. White rejected her motion to dismiss on the grounds that three of the four sentences the Pirates of the Caribbean star complained about could 'convey the alleged defamatory meaning that Mr Depp abused Ms Heard.'
The article did not mention Depp by name, but he filed for defamation in March of last year, saying that the op-ed implied that he was the abuser and caused him to lose the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. $50m would have been his paycheck, hence the amount of damages sought.
Heard had requested a dismissal on the basis of the statute of limitations because the events referenced occurred back in 2016. But the judge rejected her claim because the defamation suit was filed within four months of the op-ed's publication, well within the statute.
The Defamation case is due to be heard in August.