Judge Warns Amber Heard to Not "Waste" Court's Time in Legal Battle Against Depp

Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp has been heavily featured in the spotlight as of late. His ongoing legal battle against ex-wife Amber Heard (Aquaman) has left the actor in some murky waters.

After Amber Heard published an Op-Ed, which is now being said to have not even been written by Heard, regarding the abuse she faced from Depp, things took a turn for the Jack Sparrow actor. U.K. tabloid The Sun wrote about Depp with a critical light highlighting the abuse Amber described, to which Depp sued for defamation. Now, Depp and Heard are undergoing a $150 million legal battle.

The actor ended up losing the libel case, which triggered a downward spiral in his career. Depp first lost the Fantasic Beasts Franchise — Warner Bros. asked Johnny Depp to step down from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3. Mads Mikkelsen is currently set to take over Depp’s character in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Then, Disney followed suit as Depp lost his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 — a role which is now seemingly going to Margot Robbie in the new adaptation of the now female-led franchise. It is also rumored that Netflix has banned the use of Depp in Tim Burton’s Addams Family show, Wednesday.

Related: Disneyland Continues to Showcase Depp’s Jack Sparrow Amid Controversy

Although things were not looking good for Depp, some new evidence came to light recently from LAPD body camera footage which may help to corroborate Depp’s story in his case against Heard. With that news, we recently discussed how Heard’s attorneys have tried to toss Depp’s $50 million defamation counter in the $150 million lawsuit due to his two losses in the United Kingdom court system.

Related: #JusticeForJohnnyDepp Takes Over Twitter as New Evidence Comes to Light

As noted by Deadline:

“Giving full effect to the UK Judgments necessitates a finding that statements in the op-ed published in the Washington Post are true – Mr. Depp committed domestic violence against Ms. Heard on many occasions, causing her to fear for her life,” declares a supplemental plea in bar from Heard and Charlson Bredehoft Cohen & Brown, PC and Woods Rogers PC attorneys (read it here).

“Therefore, as a matter of law, Depp cannot prevail on any of his claims, and Depp’s Complaint against Ms. Heard should be dismissed in its entirety,” adds the April 13 filing that recently appeared on the Fairfax County docket.

After hearing about this appeal, Depp’s lawyers called the move a “Hail Mary” on Heard’s lawyer’s (Elaine Charlson Bredehoft) part, sounding seemingly confident that the United Kingdom ruling will not affect the court case that is underway between the two. This is also not the first time Heard has tried to get the $50 million defamation lawsuit dismissed, which may be putting the actress in a tough spot with Judge Penney S. Azcarate.

It has been reported that:

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.

It seems that Heard is on thin ice with the Judge due to her consistent motions to dismiss. For now, the next aspect of the trial will not take place until the summer as a hearing, but the actual case will not enter the court system until Spring of next year.

What do you think of the ongoing legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard?