Depp and Heard’s lawyers were fighting in Virginia Court for a hearing in the actor’s lawsuit.
Heard’s lawyer asked the court to allow them to amend their motion to dismiss. They also wanted a stay of discovery in the case. She argued the ruling in the UK court should cause the current case to be dismissed. Her lawyer argued the court determined the tabloid had the right to use the word “wifebeater.” Heard argues she had the right to write the article about the same topic.
Depp’s lawyers fired back arguing the UK case has nothing to do with the Virginia case. The actor’s attorney said Heard was not a party to that case and the statement at issue are different.
In her affidavit, the Aquaman actress said she donated the $7 million she received from Depp in their divorce to the ACLU.
UK court made their final ruling without knowing the truth about the $7 million. His lawyer wrote,”The court had no way to verify that, and the appellate court, by the way did confirm that that was a falsehood.”
At the end of the hearing, the judge allowed Heard to amend her motion but said it will most likely be “futile.”
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According to sources with knowledge of the information, Judge Penney S. Azcarate of Fairfax County granted a request from the 35-year-old actress to allow her to amend her motion to dismiss. It will be the third motion by Heard, as her others have been shut down. Azcarate said during Friday morning's hearing that the third attempt at dismissal will likely prove "futile."
While Amber was granted leave to amend, the judge held that she is required to file a hefty briefing with the court by June 14. Azcarate warned that if Heard is found to have wasted the court's time, there will be legal repercussions for her in the form of sanctions.
Their next hearing will take place on July 22.
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Amber Heard's attorney claims there is no truth to reports that she is being investigated for perjury by the Los Angeles Police Department in connection to an alleged physical altercation with former husband Johnny Depp.
One of the reasons for said request, say Heard's attorneys, is that she is not being investigated by the LAPD for allegedly staging injuries and a crime scene in connection to a May 21, 2016 incident that took place in the then-couple's downtown L.A. penthouse.
"The statute of limitations for perjury in California is three years and has long since expired, so an investigation, much less charges, much less a conviction, much less jail time, are impossibilities," one of Heard's lawyers, Elaine Bredehoft, argued in court.
Urging Judge Penney S. Azcarate to toss the case, Bredehoft tried to paint a picture showing the turmoil her client would face should legal proceedings continue, including "more intentional fabrications and deliberate misinformation trying to confuse the public, prejudice the jury, inflict harm on Amber Heard and incite the Depp fans to violence."
Ultimately, the Azcarate granted Heard's request to amend the motion to dismiss for a third time in case she "may be missing something."
Eric George's deposition (credit to Tug (@ThatUmbrellaGuy) :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xpdzbifdm1xpozw/George%2C%20Eric%20040521%20Full%20Size%281%29.pdf?dl=0