The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star went to war with The Management Group's (TMG) Joel and Robert Mandel last year, seeking $25 million in damages for fraud and negligence.
- June 25, 2018
AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp has been refused the chance to delay his lawsuit against his ex-business managers.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star went to war with The Management Group's (TMG) Joel and Robert Mandel in January, 2017, seeking $25 million (£18.8 million) in damages for fraud and negligence, claiming they mishandled his finances and caused him to rack up more than $40 million (£30 million) in debt.
They responded with their own countersuit, insisting he was to blame for his own financial woes because his spending was out of control.
Jury proceedings in the case are due to begin on 15 August, but on Friday, June 22, Depp's lawyer Benjamin Chew petitioned a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to postpone it by 60 days, citing the "close proximity" of the date to the two parties' first mediation meeting, which has been set for 14 July.
Chew's argument was challenged by TMG's attorneys, and now Judge Teresa Beaudet has ruled the case will proceed as scheduled if a settlement cannot be reached beforehand, reports Deadline.com.
The news emerges days after Depp opened up about his dire financial situation in a candid interview with Rolling Stone magazine, revealing he fell into a deep depression in 2016 as his money issues worsened, all while fighting allegations of domestic abuse during his bitter divorce from his The Rum Diary co-star Amber Heard.
"I was as low as I believe I could have gotten," the 55-year-old said. "The next step was, 'You're going to arrive somewhere with your eyes open and you're going to leave there with your eyes closed.' I couldn't take the pain every day".
