A court hearing to consider the domestic violence claims made by Amber Heard against Johnny Depp has been postponed. A spokesperson for the LA Superior Court confirmed that the case, which was scheduled to take place on Friday, will now be held on 15 and 16 August, following a telephone discussion between the judge and the former couple's lawyers on Thursday.
The temporary restraining order against the actor will remain in effect until that time, the spokesperson added.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's domestic violence hearing has been postponed
Amber, 30, filed for divorce from Johnny, 53, on 23 May after 15 months of marriage. The actress was granted a restraining order on 27 May after claiming that the Oscar-winner had physically abused her throughout their relationship. Johnny's attorney Laura Wasser has since denied the allegations, and argued that Amber is trying to gain further financial security.
Earlier this week, the actress decided to withdraw her request for temporary spousal support, after becoming concerned that the application was being used against her to "distract and divert the public away from the very serious and real issue of domestic violence". She has reserved the right to pursue spousal support again once the restraining order issue has been dealt with, TMZ reports.
Amber filed for divorce from the actor on 23 May after 15 months of marriage
Johnny, meanwhile, is yet to comment directly on Amber's allegations but his team did release a statement shortly after the divorce papers were filed. "Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life," his rep said. "Hopefully the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly."
Both Johnny's daughter Lily Rose Depp and his former partner Vanessa Paradis have spoken out in support of the star, following Amber's claims. Lily Rose posted a throwback photo of herself as a toddler with Johnny, describing her dad as "the sweetest most loving person I know".
Amber has alleged that Johnny physically assaulted her throughout their relationship
Vanessa, meanwhile, stated: "In all the years I have known Johnny, he has never been physically abusive with me and this looks nothing like the man I lived with for 14 wonderful years.
"He is a sensitive, loving and loved person, and I believe with all my heart, that these recent allegations being made are outrageous."