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Elated Johnny Depp hugs his lawyer after judge DENIES Amber Heard's attempt to throw out case

After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge has decided to let the jury decide whether Amber Heard's op-ed was indeed defamatory

The world has its eyes on the ongoing defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. After 13 days of testimony, the 58-year-old actor's legal team rested their case after providing multiple witnesses to support their claim that the 36-year-old actress attempted to ruin his career by calling herself a victim of abuse.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge denied the request by Heard's legal team to dismiss the lawsuit. Depp is suing Heard over the December 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote. Out of the three parts of the article that Depp is suing over, Judge Penney Azcarate denied the motion to strike for parts two and three but is taking the first under advisement.

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Judge Azcarate said, "Last night, I reviewed all the evidence submitted in this matter. As to the second and third alleged defamatory statements... I view the evidence in light most favorable to the plaintiff." She continued, "There is evidence in the case that a jury could weigh that the statements were made by the defendant, that the statements were about the plaintiff, that the statement was published, that the statement is false and the defendant made the statement knowing it to be false or the defendant made it so recklessly as to amount to a willful disregard of the truth."

"Over the last 3.5 weeks, we've seen and heard from nearly 30 witnesses who have attested to and supported Mr. Depp's claims that Ms. Heard defamed him in her 2018 op-ed. Ms. Heard's reckless op-ed, in turn, caused him to lose a $22.5 million deal with Disney for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, resulting in an overall loss of earnings of over $40 million since December 18, 2018," a spokesperson for Depp told told the media.

Happy with the ruling, Depp gave his attorney, Benjamin Chew, a hug, and Twitter users loved the moment. One tweet said, "I just cried watching Johnny hug Ben Chew. That's right Ms. Heard. A 5th dismissal attempt has been denied. #JusticeforJohnnyDepp." Another read, "I literally clapped in a quiet library when they denied the strike I'm so happy. The way Johnny's lawyer hugged him got me tearing up #JusticeForJohnny #DeppVsHeard."

A third wrote, "JOHNNY GIVING BEN A TIGHT HUG AS OPPOSITION'S MOTION WAS DENIED. MY FAV BROMANCE. #JohnnyDepp." A fourth commented, "That little hug between Johnny & Ben — they are all a legit team. Love to see it. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp." Heard is expected to testify later this week.