Amber Heard has lost her bid to terminate Johnny Depp's $50 million defamation case against her, the Daily Mail reported. According to the newspaper, the actress’s lawyers reportedly tried to dismiss the suit by saying that Depp has not presented an actionable claim. The 56-year-old Hollywood star sued his ex in 2019 over an op-ed in The Washington Post, where Heard spoke about her experience of being a victim of domestic abuse.
Although Depp was not mentioned in it by name, he filed a defamation case saying her article said that “Ms Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her”. The actor also claimed that allegations made by the 33-year-old Heard against him cost the star a role in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga.
"I knew that men have the power — physically, socially, and financially — and that a lot of institutions support that arrangement. I knew this long before I had the words to articulate it, and I bet you learned it young, too. I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse", Heard wrote in her article.
Heard’s lawyers allegedly argued that the sentences, in which the actress spoke about domestic violence and which, could not be used by Depp as a basis for a defamation suit, the Daily Mail reported. However, Judge Bruce D. White concluded that Heard’s statement: "I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse" could be seen to refer to Depp and hence his claim was actionable.
The development comes a day after the Daily Mail published a series of photos showing Heard cuddling with tech visionary Elon Musk in the elevator to Johnny Depp’s former penthouse. Musk previously claimed that he had started dating Heard after the actress broke up with Depp. The actor’s defamation suit, however, claims that Heard began an affair with the Tesla CEO in 2015 and he even subpoenaed Musk for text messages.
Social media users received the news with joy saying Amber Heard’s attempt to blackmail Depp had failed
Her little game is coming to an end and I’m sure she’s probably panicking
— emily b (@Eb12941) March 27, 2020
No Amber, you're going to COURT!!! #JusticeForJohnnyDepp pic.twitter.com/4y5VXiF18X
— Its Nico Yanno! (@nicoyanno) March 27, 2020
Others were happy that Depp would get justice and noted that men too can be the victims of domestic abuse.
— Elizabeth_Zschech (@ElizabethZsche) March 27, 2020
VIOLENCE HAS NO GENDER ! JOHNNY DEPP IS THE VICTIM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE! #JusticeForJohnnyDepp pic.twitter.com/FodQU1oo9U
— Susanna Markaryan 🍩 (@sue_markaryan) March 27, 2020
Depp and Heard tied the knot in 2015, but 15 months later the actress filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Back then Heard accused Depp of physical abuse. The 56-year-old categorically denied the accusations and said they are part of an "elaborate hoax" aimed at advancing her career. Depp also claimed that photo evidence of her injuries is fake and said he himself is a victim of domestic violence.
The Daily Mail published leaked audio tapes where Heard, a human rights activist, admits to hitting Depp and "smashing a door" into the actor’s head. Shortly after publication fans of Depp and social media users demanded justice for the actor, whose career, netizens claimed, was ruined by Heard, and launched petition asking film studios to drop Heard from their projects.
