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On Tuesday, May 24, Virginia judge Penney Azcarate rejected a motion to dismiss by Johnny Depp's legal team. The plea was to disregard Amber Heard's countersuit of $100 million against the actor.
Amber Heard's countersuit claimed Johnny Depp's former attorney, Adam Waldman, harmed her career with his alleged defamatory accusations about the actress and her friends. In 2020, Waldman accused Heard of an "abuse hoax" in his statements to the Daily Mail.
Previously, in 2019, Waldman also provided controversial statements to The Blast, where he accused Heard of faking her bruises in order to get a temporary restraining order against Depp. Later, he also referred to Heard's claims as an "ambush."
Waldman's statements against Amber Heard explained amid countersuit against Johnny Depp
Adam Waldman was Johnny Depp's former attorney who represented him during his divorce proceedings with ex-wife Amber Heard in 2016. Later, he was removed from the case for his accusations against Heard at the time.
In his statement to the Daily Mail made between April and June 2020, Waldman claimed:
"Amber Heard and her friends in the media used fake sexual violence allegations as both sword and shield, depending on their needs. They have selected some of her sexual violence hoax 'facts' as the sword, inflicting them on the public and Mr. Depp."
Later in another piece, he told the publication:
"Quite simply this was an ambush, a hoax. They set Mr. Depp up by calling the cops, but the first attempt didn't do the trick. The officers came to the penthouses, thoroughly searched and interviewed, and left after seeing no damage to face or property."
Waldman boldly alleged that Heard and her friend "roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist" before contacting 911 for the second time. In July 2019, the lawyer also provided his controversial statements to The Blast.
At the time, he claimed that Heard "went to court with painted on 'bruises' to obtain a temporary restraining order." Meanwhile, he publicly stated that the Aquaman star's "battered face" was a "hoax." He also told the Blast in June 2019:
"Ms. Heard continues to defraud her abused hoax victim Mr. Depp, the #metoo movement she masquerades as the leader of, and other real abuse victims worldwide."
How is Amber Heard's countersuit for $100 million based on the Waldman statements?
Heard's legal team cited multiple articles from a few publications that contained Adam Waldman's statement. The actress alleges that Johnny Depp and Waldman (acting on the actor's behalf) launched a "smear campaign" to defame the actress. However, Johnny Depp's legal time has denied such allegations. Meanwhile, last year, Heard also replied to one of Waldman's tweets against her. At the time, she wrote:
"Yes, Mr. Waldman, I may be wearing makeup on this occasion, but on every occasion, you will still be short."
On May 19, Waldman was called to the stand in this ongoing trial, where he clarified his statements. He said:
"I have seen things that show her statements to be false."
Waldman further claimed that he knows of several witnesses who claimed not to have seen any facial bruises on the actress between May 21 and May 27 in 2016. The lawyer stated that he had seen evidence to back up his claims made to the media during Johnny Depp's lawsuit against The Sun in 2020 and its UK trial at the time.
