19h 20min, oct 16, 2020 y - COURTHOUSE NEWS Judge Hears Arguments in Johnny Depp Defamation Trial

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Judge Hears Arguments in Johnny Depp Defamation Trial

Lawyers for Johnny Depp asked a judge Friday to toss out a $100 million defamation case filed against the actor by his ex-wife Amber Heard.

By JOAN HENNESSY

FAIRFAX, Va. (CN) — Lawyers for Johnny Depp asked a judge Friday to toss out a $100 million defamation case filed against the actor by his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Heard’s case is a counterclaim to a lawsuit filed by Depp, who also contends that Heard defamed him. Chief Judge Bruce White of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia listened to arguments Friday.

Depp first sued his ex-wife in March 2019, asking for $50 million in damages and claiming he was defamed by an op-ed Heard wrote in which she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. The editorial, which didn't mention him by name, was published in 2018 in The Washington Post, which is printed in Virginia.

The counterclaim filed in August contends that Heard has become the target of a smear campaign that has included “false and defamatory statements to reporters repeatedly accusing Ms. Heard of being a liar and a hoax artist and accusing Ms. Heard of the crime of perjury.”

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