Amber Heard’s $100M Libel Lawsuit Against Johnny Depp Moving Forward
Virginia judge Bruce D. White has allowed Amber Heard‘s $100 million libel lawsuit against ex-husband Johnny Depp to move forward, per The Hollywood Reporter.
White has rejected Depp’s attempts to have Heard’s countersuit tossed out. He claims she has every right to claim Depp’s attorney libeled her throughout the press. Heard reportedly claims comments made by attorney Adam Waldman included him calling her stories of abuse by Depp a “hoax” and “fake.” Judge White says these statements could be damaging Heard’s reputation and are not protected under newly passed laws.
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Despite the new laws going against him now, Depp specifically chose to have his initial lawsuit heard in Virginia because of a then-lack of anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) laws. He and his team figured it be easier to get his defamation lawsuit dismissed; but since the beginning of the ex-couple’s legal fight, the state passed its own anti-SLAPP law, now stifling Depp’s move for a dismissal of Heard’s countersuit.
Additionally, White ruled, “In light of the #MeToo Movement and today’s social climate, falsely claiming abuse would surely ‘injure [Ms. Heard’s] reputation in the common estimation of mankind.’ Therefore, this Court finds that the statements contain the requisite ‘sting’ for an actionable defamation claim.”
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