Amber Heard's Attorneys Rest Their Case In Johnny Depp's Defamation Trial

The defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard resumed this week, with Heard's attorneys resting their case and Depp's team requesting that the judge dismiss Heard's $100 million defamation countersuit based on statements made Depp's former attorney Adam Waldman, which Judge Penney Azcarate denied.

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Depp is suing his ex-wife for $50 million over her domestic abuse allegations in a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece about being a survivor of domestic abuse.

Heard has responded with a countersuit seeking $100 million in damages. Both claims will be decided by a jury in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Heard's lawyer, J. Benjamin Rottenborn opposed the motion to strike by saying the UK trial found Depp a "wife-beater." Chew addressed the judge again after Rottenborn finished and said Heard's legal team is playing a game.

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"They have been telling us for a week that they were going to call Johnny Depp to the stand. It's all games," Chew told the judge.

After hearing both arguments, Azcarate denied Depp's motion to dismiss Heard's defamation countersuit.

Depp's rebuttal began with Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada taking the stand virtually after Heard's team rested their case.

In relation to the Aquaman franchise, he testified against Heard. According to Heard, her role in the films was reduced because of Depp.

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On Monday, Hollywood producer Kathryn Arnold testified that Heard was denied a potential $40 million to $50 million settlement after another Depp lawyer dismissed Heard's allegations of abuse as a "hoax."

Arnold claimed she compared Heard's career to "comparable" stars such as Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Zendaya to show where she would have gone if Depp's former attorney Waldman hadn't defamed her.

According to reports, Heard's lawyers planned to call him back to the stand on Monday, but this did not happen. If his own legal team requests it, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor could testify again.

Many people expect supermodel Kate Moss to be called a surprise witness. Heard had previously mentioned her during her testimony.

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On Monday, jurors were shown graphic photos of Depp's finger injury and heard from an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Richard Moore, who stated that he did not believe Depp sustained the injury in the manner he described.

Heard allegedly threw a bottle of vodka at Depp during a fight in Australia, causing his fingertip to be severed.

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Both Depp and Heard have already testified in front of the jury, each for four days and enduring arduous cross-examination.

The "Aquaman" actress concluded her defence testimony by accusing Depp of sexual and physical abuse, which Depp has denied throughout his testimony. Heard's lawyers spent much of last week attempting to paint Depp as a jealous, drunken abuser.

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Heard has claimed that drugs and alcohol and paranoid jealousy were the catalysts for his transformation from the man she loved to the "monster" who made her fear for her life.

She claimed that he hid his drug and alcohol use from her and his family, but his actions revealed he was high or drunk, often to the point of incoherence.

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Depp, for one, claims he was the victim of the attack. He claims his ex-wife constantly berated and attacked him during their brief marriage.

Depp has claimed that he never physically attacked Heard during their relationship but that she regularly hit him and threw things at him.

The month-long trial, which began on April 11, is expected to come to an end this week

James Franco and Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the owner of Twitter, were also on Heard's team's witness list before the trial began. According to sources, they are unlikely to be called to testify. Actor Paul Bettany was also on the witness list.

The trial will take place Monday through Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. Because Heard's lawyers wanted the case tried in California, where the actors live, the trial is being held in Fairfax County. However, a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to file the lawsuit in Virginia because The Washington Post's online edition's computer servers are located there. According to Depp's lawyers, the case was brought in Virginia partly because the laws are more favorable to their case.

Closing arguments will take place on Friday, May 27, and jury deliberations will begin after that.