A British judge on Thursday rejected an attempt by the tabloid The Sun newspaper to overturn a defamation lawsuit against actor Johnny Depp over an article claiming he abused his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Judge Andrew Nicol said: “In my opinion, it would not be just rejecting the claim.”
The ruling means the two celebrities and their big legal teams will square off next week in London’s High Court.
Depp, 57, and Heard, 34, met on the set of the 2011 comedy “The Rum Diary” and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. They divorced in 2017.
Depp is suing The Sun editor, News Group Newspapers and executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article that claims the actor was violent and abusive to Heard. He flatly denies the allegations.
The Sun’s attorneys requested that the case be dismissed, alleging that Depp did not disclose text messages that he exchanged with an assistant showing that he attempted to purchase “MDMA and other narcotics” while in Australia with Heard in 2015.
The newspaper’s attorney, Adam Wolanski, said withholding the texts was a violation of a previous court order requiring Depp to provide all documents of defamation proceedings against Heard in the United States. He said the lapse jeopardized the defendants’ ability to obtain a fair trial.
The judge ruled that Depp had violated the disclosure order, but granted him “relief from sanctions,” meaning that the case can continue.
He also rejected an attempt by Depp to compel Heard to reveal evidence, including communications with actor James Franco and Space-X founder Elon Musk, with whom he allegedly had relationships while involved with Depp.
“The central issue for defending the truth is whether Mr. Depp assaulted Ms. Heard,” said the judge. “Even if she had been unfaithful to him, that would be irrelevant on that central theme. Therefore, I am not convinced that these categories of documents are necessary for the fair disposition of the litigation. “
Depp and Heard are expected to provide evidence in person at the London trial, which was postponed from March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The socially estranged trial is scheduled to last three weeks. Witnesses are likely to include former Depp associates Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, who made statements in support of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star.
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