James Franco Subpoenaed To Speak In Johnny Depp's Defamation Case Against Amber Heard
Depp's lawyers will ask if Franco ever saw bruises on Heard.
Featureflash Photo Agency / BAKOUNINE / Shutterstock James Franco has been served papers to appear in court during a deposition hearing in the long-running legal battle between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
"The Disaster Artist" actor has been making headlines recently after admitting in an interview that he had slept with students at his acting school, claiming he suffers from sex addiction.
Now, Franco will reportedly be questioned in the $50 million defamation lawsuit that Depp filed against Heard.
Depp’s lawyers will allegedly inquire if Franco possibly had an affair with Heard while she was still married to Depp.
His lawyers will also question Franco on if the actor ever saw the alleged bruises given by Depp on Heard’s face during their supposed affair.
Did James Franco and Amber Heard have an affair?
Johnny Depp believes that ex-wife Amber Heard cheated on him with multiple men, one of them including James Franco.
Depp claims that security footage from his apartment shows Franco and Heard in an elevator in May 2016. The elevator footage was taken 24 hours before Heard allegedly claimed Depp attacked her and gave her a black eye.
Heard’s attorneys denied the notion that the actress ever cheated on Depp with Franco, claiming that the two just lived in the same apartment building.
Along with Franco, Elon Musk was also subpoenaed and is scheduled to be deposed in January 2022.
After Depp and Heard filed for divorce, Heard went on to date Musk from 2016 to 2018, and is also accused of cheating on Depp with the Tesla CEO.
Franco and Musk are required to “produce books, record, electronically stored information and tangible things designated and described.” This includes “verbal conversations, telephone calls, letters, emails, memoranda, and texts,” according to court documents.
The documents requested between the communication of both men and Heard are meant to help Depp’s case relating to if Heard ever mentioned allegations of physical abuse or domestic violence, and if Franco or Musk ever saw injuries on Heard.
The libel suit comes after Heard wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in 2019 where she opened up about the alleged domestic violence she endured.
Heard did not mention Depp in the article, but the actor believes that her accusations against him have caused him to suffer substantial financial loss.
In his suit, Depp claims, “I have denied Ms. Heard’s allegations vehemently since she first made them in May 2016... when she walked into court to obtain a temporary restraining order with painted-on bruises that witnesses and surveillance footage show she did not possess each day of the preceding week. I will continue to deny them for the rest of my life. I never abused Ms. Heard or any other woman.”
Depp says he is filing the lawsuit as a means to clear his name as well as his reputation, and to also “bring clarity to the women and men whose lives have been harmed by abuse and who have been repeatedly lied to by Ms. Heard purporting to be their spokesperson.”
Depp recently lost his court case against The Sun after the British publication referred to him as a “wife beater” in a 2018 article.
The judge in the case ruled that the piece containing the allegation was “substantially true” and said that there is sufficient evidence that Depp physically assaulted Heard at least 12 of the 14 times she claimed he did.
After losing the highly publicized libel case against the publication, Depp was requested to resign from his role in the "Fantastic Beasts" movie franchise.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.