The verdict in Johnny Depp‘s libel case against News Group Newspapers should be in soon. Whatever the judge decides, it’ll have major consequences for both Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard.
A Depp victory would blow a hole in Heard’s credibility and will influence ongoing domestic legal proceedings. A victory for Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper, meanwhile, could mean disaster for the Pirates of the Caribbean star. After all, if the judge rules that even a few elements of Heard’s story are true, companies like Disney and Warner Bros. may reconsider their involvement with him.
Whatever the decision is, though, don’t expect it to put a cap on this story. There are multiple concurrent legal cases between the pair, all of which have to be scheduled around their filming commitments. After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virginia court case against Heard was listed for a hearing between January 11th and 28th, 2021. But Depp is supposed to be shooting Fantastic Beasts 3 around then, so has applied to the court for a further adjournment to a date between March and June.
Heard’s legal team have pushed back, however, arguing that:
“Although Mr Depp had been contacted in late June or July with the proposed filming dates, he did not alert them to the trial dates. Mr. Depp decided that, rather than speak with his employer to work his film commitments around his trial, he asks this court to subserviently reschedule around his employment and the entire film schedule and production.”
Meanwhile, Heard is set to be filming Aquaman 2 between February and March 2021, so the new date conflicts with her shooting schedule. It’s a thorny situation, though one that could become a little simpler if it becomes apparent that one side is certain to win future battles. Despite how acrimonious this is, it’s probably in both parties’ interests to get into mediation and try to settle at least a few of their extremely expensive legal battles.
Until then, pass me the popcorn, as watching these A-listers at each other’s throats is at least a distraction from the killer virus, Nazis 2.0 and global warming.