Johnny Depp's Lawsuit Against Amber Heard Sets a Trial Date

Legal drama between Aquaman star Amber Heard and her ex-husband Johnny Depp is still ongoing and has now taken a bit of a new turn. Earlier this year, Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard over her allegations of domestic abuse against him and a trial date has been set for that case, but there's also a fight over where the case belongs -- Virginia or California.

According to The Blast, the judge in the case has already set the trial date as February 3, 2020 with 12 days set aside on the court calendar for the proceedings. However, Heard's attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the case belongs not in Virginia, but in California. It's a motion that the judge stated he would have a decision on "soon" after hearing arguments for both sides and with the judge going on vacation, it's unclear what "soon" means -- though it is likely it will be sometime after the July 4th holiday.

As for why there's a fight over where the case should be tried, Depp's attorneys have argued that because Heard's op-ed appeared in the Washington Post and the Post is printed in Virginia, that's where the case belongs. As some may recall, Heard wrote the piece for the Post in 2018 in which she shared her alleged domestic abuse. While the editorial never mentioned Depp by name, given the very public disputes between Depp and Heard in recent years made it somewhat obvious to readers that Heard was describing her ex-husband.

Depp's attorney explained in court documents that the validity of the piece "depends on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her." Depp, for his part, claims that not only are Heard's allegations false, but he also claims that she is the one who abused him, citing an incident in which Heard reportedly threw a glass bottle at him and injured his hand. The lawsuit also claims that Heard's allegations are all part of an elaborate hoax, a hoax that he claims has caused negative repercussions for his career.

For her part, Heard and her attorneys have argued that the case should not have been filed in Virginia at all since most of the issues involved in the lawsuit are located in California. In a motion for dismissal in the Virginia court, Heard explains this geographical significance, detailing some of the alleged episodes of violence.

"The vast majority of these occasions took place in Los Angeles, California, where Mr. Depp would alternate between sober and inebriated states, between lucid and delusional thinking, and between remorse and violence with Ms. Heard," reads the motion. Heard goes on to say, "About a year into our relationship, I began to witness Johnny abusing drugs and alcohol or would notice that he was drunk or high," and then lists several episodes of extreme violence by Depp during their time together. a declaration from Heard accompanying the motion to dismiss states, explicitly recounting episodes of extreme violence by Depp during the time the couple was together.

What do you think of Heard and Depp's ongoing legal issues? Let us know in the comments below.