Johnny Depp, 58, and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, 35, are getting ready to duke it out in court again, over a $50 million defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny against Amber in March 2019. According to court documents obtained by HollywoodLife, the upcoming showdown, which is taking place in a Fairfax County, Virginia, courtroom, will include communication that took place between the two and various celebrities, including Aquaman actor, Jason Momoa, 42, and Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling, 56.
Johnny’s suit against Amber stems from a 2018 opinion article she wrote for The Washington Post. In the piece, Amber claimed that she was a survivor of domestic abuse. Although she doesn’t specifically name Johnny as the abuser, his lawyers argued that the “false” claims made by Amber in the piece had a severe impact on Johnny’s career and, subsequently, destroyed his reputation in Hollywood. Four days after the article was released, Johnny lost his lucrative starring role as Jack Sparrow in the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean.
HollywoodLife obtained a copy of the summary motion documents, which include an Exhibit List for both the plaintiff (Johnny) and the defendant (Amber). In the expansive list are “numerous correspondences” with various celebrities, including emails between Johnny and J.K., and text messages between Amber and Jason– who is currently working on repairing his marriage with his wife, Lisa Bonet, 54. Testimonies from other celebrities are being used in the trial as well, including a deposition from Ellen Barkin, 67, and famed attorney, Laura Wasser, 53. James Franco, 43, and Elon Musk, 50, are also giving testimonies on behalf of Amber, via live stream.
Amber’s attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, initially requested that no cameras be allowed in the courtroom, but Fairfax County Chief Judge, Penney S. Azcarate, denied the request. Judge Azcarate did note, however, that there will be a “tight leash” on what could be filmed and photographed during the proceedings. Johnny, who already lost a lawsuit against U.K.’s The Sun in 2018 — is welcoming the cameras into the courtroom. According to his lawyers, the actor “favors transparency.”