Entertainment
Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard delayed to 2022
Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard has now been pushed back to 2022, it has been claimed.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor’s $50million (35m) lawsuit against the Aquaman star was set to start in Virginia on May 7, after it has previously been delayed from last September.
However, according to Deadline, the court date has been set back once more, and will begin on April 11, 2022.
The publication states that the date was decided by Fairfax County Circuit Court Chief Judge Bruce White, and the trial is expected to last around two weeks.
Depp is suing his ex, 34, for defamation over an op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post in late 2018, in which she claimed that she was a victim of domestic abuse.
The 57-year-old has repeatedly denied allegations of physical abuse.
Heard is thought to be counter-suing him for $100million (£70m), double the amount he is looking for.
The initial trial was due to start in May, 2020, but was pushed back to January of this year over the coronavirus pandemic.
Depp previously requested for the trial to be moved to June due to the production of the third Fantastic Beasts film in London.
However, he was asked to step down from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the wizarding franchise at the end of last year, and was later replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.
The decision, from Warner Bros, came after he lost a libel claim against The Sun over an article calling him a “wife beater”.
A High Court judge found the article was ‘substantially true’ at the end of a three-week trial last July.
Depp blasted the decision and is now challenging that ruling – with his appeal application to be heard in March.
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Johnny and Amber for a comment.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Celebs Go Dating’s Wayne Lineker and Chloe Ferry spark engagement rumours: ‘She said yes!’
