Amber Heard’s legal team has pivoted once again, deciding not to call Johnny Depp to the stand this week. Just days ago, Deadline reported that Depp would be called to testify by the defense in the final week of his lawsuit against his ex-wife. On Monday morning, a source close to that legal team said that this was no longer the plan.
“Calling Depp back to the stand would be as relevant to us as a bicycle to a fish,” the insider told reporters. “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.” Heard’s legal team is led by Elaine Bredehoft, and it has little time left to make its case to the jury. Cutting Depp from its plans may mean that the lawyers have other evidence they believe will be more effective, or that they do not believe they have time to get the answers out of Depp they had previously planned on.
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Although the defense won’t call Depp, there’s still a chance he could end up back on the stand on Wednesday. His own legal team will reportedly have a chance to call him at that point as a rebuttal witness. On the other hand, there are other plans for the trial that could eat up more time, or draw more attention than more testimony from Depp himself.
As previously reported, Depp’s team plans to call his ex-girlfriend of more than two decades ago, Kate Moss to the stand on Wednesday. Moss will appear in court via video chat, presumably to testify on his behalf. Heard referenced Moss in her own testimony, citing a rumor that Depp had once pushed Moss down the stairs in a drunken rage. When she said that, Depp’s lawyers could reportedly be seen pumping their fists in excitement.
The other major witness expected to testify this week is Walter Hamada, an executive for Warner Bros. Hamada is expected to discuss Depp’s work on the Fantastic Beasts franchise and the circumstances of his resignation from it. Like Moss, Hamada will take the stand virtually. He is scheduled to appear on Tuesday.
The Depp v. Heard trial is scheduled to come to a close on Friday, May 27 with closing arguments. After that, the jury will be left to deliberate the winner and either award Depp $50 million in damages or proclaim Heard innocent of defamation. There’s no telling how long their decision will take.
