The ensuing court cases have affected both Depp and Heard, with Depp losing out on movie roles while Heard has come under heavy fire by fans.
Now, there's a new plot twist in the case.
The drama continues
Entertainment site Screenrant reported that the 58-year-old Depp has won the right to sue his ex-wife for USD50 million (RM212 million).
The 'Pirates of the Carribean' actor filed the lawsuit back in 2019 after the 35-year-old Heard published an article in The Washington Post about surviving domestic abuse the year before.
Despite not naming him in the article, Depp claimed that Heard's story had cost him a role in the 'Pirates of the Carribean' reboot.
Heard had requested for the court to strike out the lawsuit following the conclusion of the UK court case, where Depp lost a bid to appeal the 'wife-beater' ruling against newspaper The Sun, but Fairfax County Chief Judge Penney Azcarate felt that it was not fair for Depp.
"The Court is not persuaded by Defendant's [Heard] argument that Plaintiff [Depp] had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the UK Action.
"Defendant argues she was in privity with The Sun because they both had the same interest in the case.
"However, for privity to exist, Defendant's interest in the case must be so identical with The Sun's interest such that The Sun's representation of its interest is also a representation of Defendant's legal right," he was quoted as saying.
After the ruling was made, Depp's lawyer Ben Chew told Deadline that "Mr. Depp is most gratified by the Court's decision."
The duo met on the set of of their film 'The Rum Diary' in 2011 before getting married in 2015. However, Heard filed for divorce later, claiming that Depp had abused her.
This latest ruling meant that the lawsuit will go on trial in April 2022, so it doesn't look like the drama will be ending anytime soon.