Johnny Depp's Defamation Case Against Amber Heard Will Continue

(Image credit: Getty/Jim Watson)

Johnny Depp's heavily publicized defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard will continue as planned.

Heard's lawyer, Benjamin Rottenborn, put forth a plea for Depp's case to be dismissed on May 3, alleging that there was no "clear and convincing evidence," according to E! News.

That same day, a judge dismissed Rottenborn's request, ruling that the trial could continue.

"We are pleased at Chief Judge Azcarate’s ruling to continue with the trial after Mr. Rottenborn failed to convince the court that there was reason to dismiss the case,” a spokesperson for Depp told Us Weekly. "We stand confident in the future of the case and for the truth to be continued to be shared."

CNN reports that Depp's lawyers rested their case on May 3 as well, giving the floor to Heard's legal team.

Depp is suing his ex-wife for defamation after she published an op-ed in the Washington Post in 2018, alleging she had suffered domestic violence. Depp was not named in the article, but was widely understood to be its subject. He claims he lost out on work and income, and had his reputation damaged by Heard's words. Depp is suing for $50 million and Heard is countersuing for $100 million, according to NBC News.

Following the op-ed's publication, Depp was dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Since the trial began, a petition to remove Heard from Aquaman 2 has been making the rounds, garnering close to 3.5 million signatures at time of writing.

The trial began on April 11, and is expected to carry on for some time yet.

Heard and Depp were married from 2015 to 2017.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.