Amber Heard's lawyers said calling Depp back to the stand would be as 'relevant to us as a bicycle to a fish'
Amber Heard's lawyers have revealed they will not be calling Johnny Depp back to the stand as the high-profile defamation case between the two enters its final week.
Heard's legal team have said the
Pirates of the Caribbean star would be of no use to them if called back to the stand, claiming that everything he has testified to this point "has been irrelevant." But legal experts have speculated whether the decision was made due to time concerns.
In a statement to the press, Heard’s attorney said: “Calling Depp back to the stand would be as relevant to us as a bicycle to a fish. Everything Depp has testified up to this point has been irrelevant to the heart of this case, and there’s no reason to believe it would be any different now.”
https://twitter.com/ChanleyCourtTV/status/1528817605057847296?s=20&t=MwrnI8UarH2oXatW55puHw
https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetwork/status/1528827674495438848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1528827674495438848%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-19635508613833747826.ampproject.net%2F2205051832000%2Fframe.html
Law & Crime correspondent Angenette Levy tweeted that Heard's lawyers had initially planned to call Depp back to the stand, and mentioned that the decision not to do so could be a question of time.
She added that the actor was "largely regarded to be uncontrollable as a witness by Amber Heard's lawyers."
https://twitter.com/Angenette5/status/1528816742134427656
https://twitter.com/cathyrusson/status/1528827038768824320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1528827038768824320%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-19635508613833747826.ampproject.net%2F2205051832000%2Fframe.html
Depp is currently suing his former wife Heard for defamation over an op-ed she wrote in 2018 in which she discussed the subject of domestic abuse.
Depp and his lawyers argue that the
Washington Post piece falsely implies that Heard was physically and sexually abused by Depp while they were married from 2015 to 2017. He is seeking $50m in damages.
Heard is in turn suing her former husband, accusing him of orchestrating a "smear campaign" against her and labelling his lawsuit as a continuation of "abuse and harassment."
She has asked for immunity from Depp's complaint, and $100m in damages.
The court is now in its sixth week of hearing the case with closing arguments set to take place on Friday, May 27. It will then be up to the jury to decide the outcome.
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