Judge Scoffs At TMZ's Request To Stop Ex-Employee From Testifying In Heard-Depp Trial
May 25 2022, Published 1:29 p.m. ET
A judge shot down an effort by TMZ to stop one of its former employees from testifying in the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
The celebrity-gossip giant rushed to court earlier this week to stop the ex-employee from speaking. But a judge rejected that request on Wednesday.
The judge scoffed at the motion to have ex-employee Morgan Tremaine barred from testifying and said he was not impressed with the cases lawyers cited. The judge added the witness was not being compelled by a subpoena to speak, so there was nothing for TMZ to block.
The decision comes after RadarOnline.com exclusively reported that Tremaine was being called to take the stand in the explosive Depp-Heard trial. Tremaine worked at TMZ when the outlet got video of Depp yelling at Heard in the kitchen.
In the clip, Depp was seen loudly slamming cupboards, pacing around and throwing a wine bottle.
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Heard was asked about the clip during the trial and whether she knew the media was going to be there. The actress denied the claim. “No, I did not,” she said. “I assumed since it’s a public building, there was that possibility. But I was shocked.”
Heard was adamant she had nothing to do with the video and said Depp told her that his attorney was the one with connections to TMZ.
Tremaine’s being on the witness list makes it appear the jury could find out new information about leaked the video and if they had connections to Amber. A source told RadarOnline.com Tremaine no longer works in the industry and has nothing to gain from testifying.
The testimony would be the latest in the weeks-long trial between the two actors. The case started when Heard wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post about domestic violence. The piece did not name Depp, her then-husband, by name.
Depp sued Heard for defamation and she sued him right back. For the past several weeks, the details of both A-listers’ private life have been on full display in a Virginia courtroom.