Johnny Depp is hoping to move his trial date with Amber Heard so that it does not conflict with the filming of Fantastic Beasts. Depp, as many will recall, is suing his ex-wife for defamation after she penned a Washington Post op-ed that discussed her experience with domestic violence. The suit, filed in March of 2019, is for $50 million.
While she didn’t name him, the allusion was clear, and he claims that the abuse allegations have cost him multiple career opportunities. Depp, who denies abusing Heard and has instead argued that she abused him, was ousted from the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after the allegations were made public.
In legal docs filed August 21 and obtained by USA Today, the 57-year-old asked the court to reschedule the jury trial, currently set to begin in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Jan. 11, to “sometime between March and June 2021.”
Two days before the filing, Depp’s manager received a letter from Warner Bros. stating that he was contractually obligated to report to filming in London “on an exclusive basis commencing in early October 2020 and running through and including the middle of February 2021.”
“Though Mr. Depp is eager to proceed to trial, he faces an untenable situation over which he has no control,” Depp's legal team argues, noting he could face breach of contract if forced to carry on with the trial in January. “Good cause therefore exists to continue the trial date.”
Since divorcing in August 2016, Depp and Heard have been battling each other in civil court over abuse allegations.