Johnny Depp's $50 million defamation suit survives as court rejects Amber Heard's dismissal plea

Actress Amber Heard's appeal for the dismissal of the defamation suit brought against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp was dismissed by a judge in Virginia, according to a report.

The Pirates of Caribbean star sued for $50 million defamation suit against Heard in March 2019, alleging that an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post had defamed him by suggesting that he was a domestic abuser, even though Depp was not directly named.

Virginia Judge Bruce White in a ruling said: "Plaintiff has pleaded circumstances that would reasonably cause three of the four statements at issue to convey the alleged defamatory meaning that Mr Depp abused Ms Heard, and this alleged meaning is in fact defamatory," Variety in a report quoted White.

Depp's defamation suit survives

The implication of the ruling is that Depp's defamation suit against Heard survives and is expected to go trail in future if several reports are to be believed.

Heard, after losing her attempt to dismiss the case on grounds of jurisdiction, Heard lodged a demurrer alleging that the statements were not actionable, The Hollywood Reporter said.

A demurrer is a plea in law that objects to or contests the case made by the opposing party.

The Op-ed that invited defamation

Amber Heard in Washington Post opinion piece had written with the headline: "Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence - faced our culture's wrath. That has to change."

The Aquaman actress wrote in the op-ed that two years ago, she became a public figure portraying domestic violence, and she felt the full force of our culture's wrath towards women who speak out.

She had the unusual opportunity of seeing, in real-time, how institutions defend people accused of abuse, Heard added in the article.

Heard had first accused the actor of domestic violence in 2016 regarding her divorce, but Depp had called the accusations 'false'