Johnny Depp and his soon-to-be ex-wife Amber Heard will each sit for a deposition this week in connection to their contentious divorce, ahead of a four- to five-day hearing scheduled to begin Aug. 17 that will determine whether Heard is issued a domestic violence restraining order against the actor.
Shortly after she filed for divorce in May, Heard claimed Depp had been abusing her and was granted a temporary restraining order (TRO). Depp has denied the allegations and is asking the court to reject Heard’s request for spousal support.
Judge Carl Moor reissued the TRO through the first day of the hearing. So Depp won’t be allowed in the room Friday when Heard is deposed. Mediation was an exception to the TRO, but Moor said the deposition won’t be. Depp’s deposition is set for the following day.
Depp’s attorney Laura Wasser said she doesn’t intend to call her client as a witness during the hearing, but she has 23 others.
Heard’s team has seven.
Moor estimates that puts direct testimony to about 24 hours, not including cross examinations or attorneys’ arguments.
The quick turnaround between the depositions and a previously scheduled hearing Monday gave Wasser pause. Not having deposition transcripts during examination creates a “logistical problem in terms of impeachment,” she said.
Moor raised the notion of pushing back that court date, which attorneys were amenable to unless it means delaying proceedings into the fall.
“I think that we need to move this forward and get it over with,” said Wasser. “This is really weighing heavily on my client.”
Unsurprisingly, the scheduling issues are complicated by the dueling stars’ schedules. (Heard, for example, is currently filming Justice League in London.) So Moor determined taking the matter off his calendar and moving it to a long cause courtroom would be the best move.
Which judge will be hearing the case remains to be seen, but Moor estimates the hearing will take four to five days.
Depp, Heard and their lawyers met for a six-hour voluntary settlement conference on July 25, but were unable to reach a resolution, according to court documents.
A June agreement between the parties states that neither actor, nor their lawyers or other representatives, will comment to the media on the divorce, Heard’s defamation lawsuit against comedian Doug Stanhope or any future litigation.
