This August, Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard is set to finally begin its three-week proceedings. The trial is no summer blockbuster event, but it certainly is shaping up to have a stacked cast, considering James Franco has been roped into the legal battle. Following a request from Depp’s lawyer for the 127 Hours actor to be questioned during the case, Franco is requesting a sealed deposition.
The couple have been embroiled in a longwinded legal battle since Amber Heard filed divorce from Johnny Depp back in 2016. The actor filed a lawsuit against his Rum Diary costar for defaming his character with allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Depp and his legal team claim Heard has orchestrated an “elaborate hoax” to advance her career and it directly led to his firing from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in the process.
James Franco finds himself in the middle of all this due to a 2016 surveillance video at Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s apartment complex where he shares an elevator ride with Heard. The video took place on the night after the couple had a heated fight that Heard claims she received her bruises from, whereas Depp claims they didn’t appear until later in the week.
Johnny Depp’s team are hoping to clear up the claims by questioning James Franco about the night he saw her. According to a new legal letter obtained by The Blast, Franco is asking that all answers he offers not be shared with the public. Before he agrees to testify in the case, the actor is requesting a document be put in place to protect his testimony from being leaked to outside sources.
Additionally, James Franco is asking that a clause be added to this document that would impart legal damages on Johnny Depp and his team if it does end up being released to the public. Franco will be asked about the night he shared the same elevator with Amber Heard, specifically regarding if he noticed bruises present on her face and body.
James Franco apparently lived in the same apartment complex as Amber Heard and Johnny Depp back in 2016. The Aquaman actress' lawyers simply believe it was a coincidence the two actors were in the same elevator. The video shows Amber traveling down the parking floor of the complex, leaving and going back in with Franco, and the both of them traveling to the penthouse level.
James Franco and Amber Heard seem to be hiding their faces in the video, both standing away from the camera’s view. Franco leans over for a moment to seemingly listen to Heard speak. They previously shared the screen in 2015’s The Adderall Diaries. Heard has also alleged Johnny Depp requested her to get fired from Aquaman in a separate case.
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend as more information of the Heard/Depp legal battle unfolds!
