Amber Heard Goes ‘Offline’ After Commenting Upcoming Johnny Depp Defamation Trial

Amber Heard is opting for a social media hiatus as she is preparing to face her ex, Johnny Depp, in court amid their lengthy divorce proceedings. Despite being split, the two remain in court over defamation-related claims on both sides. To focus on the trial, Heard is taking a break from the online chatter. She shared a post with her social media followers on Saturday, April 9, ahead of their next court date where she and Depp will convince a judge and jury whether or not Heard defamed him by suggesting she was a victim of domestic violence at the actor’s hands.

“I continue to pay that price, but hopefully, when this case concludes, I can move on, and so can Johnny,” she said in part. “I have always maintained a love for Johnny, and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world….Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”

Heard continues to battle Depp in his $50 million libel lawsuit against her. The Pirates of the Caribbean star sued his ex after she wrote an op-ed in 2018 on her experience speaking out against domestic violence for The Washington Post. Though Heard didn’t mention Depp by name in the article, many believe she’s speaking directly about him throughout the piece. 

She recently scored a win in the case after a judge ruled that Heard can argue to a jury that she should be protected from Depp’s libel lawsuit because her op-ed deals with a matter of public interest. 

Depp’s lawyers wanted to block Heard from arguing that she was speaking about matters of public interest, per Yahoo News. His team cited a law that facilitates this defense is not designed to be used in private cases. Regarding Heard’s article, Depp’s legal team claimed that the op-ed was an “abuse of the #MeToo movement” and claimed Heard “masquerades as a victim rather than the abuser.”