Johnny Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard will not be barred from seeing him testify in his defamation suit against the British newspaper The Sun.
© PATRICK HAMILTON
American actor Johnny Depp (R) and his wife Amber Heard arrive in court on the Gold Coast on April 18, 2016.
On Saturday, a judge rejected the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star’s argument that the “Aquaman” actress’s own evidence would be more reliable if she did not hear Depp give her own during questioning, The Guardian reports.
Depp, 57, is suing the editor of the tabloid News Group Newspapers, as well as The Sun executive editor Dan Wootton, for a 2018 article that described the Oscar nominee as a “beating wife.”
The article pointed to claims made by Heard, 34, that Depp physically abused her while the two were still married, allegations that the “Sweeney Todd” star has always denied.
Preventing Heard from feeling would be “unfair” and “inhibit”: defense, Judge Nicol ruled.
Witnesses in criminal cases cannot be present in court while others give evidence but may be present in civil cases.
Although Nicol admitted that the “Diario del Ron” actress was not “a party” and is “not in a position to give instructions” to the defendants’ attorneys, she said that both defendants “depend heavily on information that Ms. Heard can provide “and” on which defendants can choose to act. “
He said: “It would be unfair for the accused to deprive [the defendants] of that advantage. “
Earlier in the week, the NGN camp tried and failed to have the case dismissed.
That after the superior court decision last week, Depp violated an order in the case when he did not share the texts that apparently show him trying to buy drugs.
NGN’s attorneys asked Nicol to reject the defamation claim alleging that he had not shared the “Australian drug texts”, which were sent in early 2015.
The message came shortly before Heard claimed that Depp committed “a three-day trial of physical assault” against her in Australia.
In late May, the high court dismissed the evidence of the mechanic working for the ex-partner towards the end of their marriage, but approved the evidence of the actress’ former personal assistant. The assistant insists that she never saw signs of physical violence.
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