Johnny Depp can use testimony from Amber Heard's former PA in libel claim

On Monday, the High Court ruled that Johnny Depp can use Kate James' testimony about Amber Heard in his libel claim against a U.K. tabloid that labeled him a "wife-beater."

Justice Nicol declared during the interim ruling that Depp can use some limited testimony from James. Heard's former personal assistant (PA) previously testified in Depp's defamation case against his ex-wife. In her testimony, she recalled not seeing any sign of physical abuse on the actress' face and said that she had not seen "a serious or messy fight" happen when they were married.

Likewise, other matters in James' testimony relating to Heard's credibility in dealing with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will reportedly also be included in the trial. The judge denied Depp's request to include the testimony of his mechanic, Mr. Killackey, to his libel case.

"I refuse to the claimant [Depp] permission to call Mr. Killackey. I give permission to [Depp] to call Ms. James to give evidence [to a limited] extent ...," Nicol said in his written decision as quoted by The Guardian.

A spokeswoman for Heard has since responded to the High Court ruling, writing: "As the judgment today shows, Mr. Depp's team has been attempting to introduce irrelevant evidence. This is one of the defining characteristics of their strategy – to adduce irrelevant evidence designed to smear Ms. Heard and distract from the facts so that people do not focus on Mr. Depp's behaviour."

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star sued The Sun via its parent publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) and its executive editor, Dan Wootton for an April 2018 article that put his marriage to Heard in the spotlight. The article painted him as a domestic abuser and used the phrase "wife-beater" to describe Depp.

The accusation contradicts James' testimony and those coming from the actor's former partners. Winona Ryder, whom Depp was engaged to in the 1990s and Vanessa Paradis, with whom he shares two children, have both testified to his kind and gentle nature. Their testimonies have also been submitted as additional support in Depp's libel case against The Sun.