13h 30min, may 7, 2019 y - HOLLYWOOD REPORTER Johnny Depp’s Bloom Trial Delay

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Hollywood Docket: Johnny Depp’s Trial Delay

BY ASHLEY CULLINS

Johnny Depp won’t be pursuing malpractice claims connected to his divorce from Amber Heard as part of his legal fight with his former talent lawyer Jake Bloom, a Tuesday filing indicates.

Depp in October 2017 sued Bloom, claiming he was improperly collecting millions in contingent fees without a contract. Last month, Bloom’s lawyers indicated Depp was intending to pursue claims related to advice his talent lawyer gave him during his split from Heard. In response, they noticed depositions for relevant witnesses — including ousted Warner Bros. chairman Kevin Tsujihara, who allegedly heard a request from Depp to deny Heard film work. That deposition notice was later withdrawn, according to a source. Other deposition notices were sent to Tesla billionaire and former Heard boyfriend Elon Musk and power litigator Marty Singer. According to a filing Monday, Depp’s lawyers told Bloom’s legal team the following day that they wouldn’t be pursuing claims in connection with the divorce.

There’s still plenty to war over, though, and multiple Hollywood A-listers could be called in to testify. The trial is currently set to begin Sept. 16 and, before then, Bloom’s team says they need to depose not only Heard but also Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Depp’s agent Bryan Lourd and entertainment power lawyers Singer, Blair Berk and Laura Wasser.

Bloom’s lawyers are asking to push the trial to next spring, claiming that because of discovery disputes they have only recently received more than 1.5 million pages of documents related to Depp’s previously settled lawsuit against his business managers at The Management Group. (Depp contends Bloom is liable for some of TMG’s alleged misconduct.) Bloom’s attorney Mathew Wrenshall estimates it would take 10 attorneys five months to read the papers.

“To allow for Defendants’ orderly review of the newly released documents requested in 2017, the deposition and/or redeposition of about 25 fact witnesses, followed by the substantial expert discovery required by the malpractice claims and claims regarding TMG, and given that Plaintiffs seek $50+ million in damages, a trial date of March 2020 would be realistic and would allow Defendants a fair opportunity to defend at trial,” writes Wrenshall.

According to Depp’s attorney Adam Waldman, the professed confusion about whether claims include the management of the divorce was “simply a stall tactic by Bloom Hergott to delay their day of reckoning in court.” However, the record indicates that Depp’s legal team in March informed the court it would include in the actor’s negligence claim advice Bloom gave the actor relating to his divorce.

The trial setting conference is set for May 29.

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