Gene Maddaus-Senior: Last News

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterMillions of people have watched Penney Azcarate, the chief judge of the Fairfax County (Va.) Circuit Court, as she has presided over the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for the last six weeks.Azcarate has maintained a low-key presence, accepting or rejecting evidence and occasionally admonishing witnesses to focus on the question. But the most consequential decision Azcarate made may have come weeks before the trial, when she allowed Court TV to operate two pool cameras in the courtroom.Viewership increased exponentially as the trial went on, according to Law & Crime, which livestreamed the entire thing.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAfter six weeks of trial, attorneys for Amber Heard and Johnny Depp made their closing arguments to a Virginia jury on Friday, with each side making the case that their client was defamed in the wake of the couple’s divorce.Each side argued that the jurors had gotten to see the “real” Johnny Depp — though they differed wildly about who that is. Depp’s attorney, Benjamin Chew, presented him as a “decent, well-liked man” whose life had been destroyed “by a vicious lie” that he had abused Heard.Heard’s lawyer, Ben Rottenborn, countered with audio and video recordings and text messages in which Depp poured out rage against Heard, including one text in which he said he hoped that “that cunt’s rotting corpse is decomposing in the fucking trunk of a Honda Civic.” “These words are a window into the heart and mind of America’s favorite pirate,” Rottenborn said.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAmber Heard told jurors on Thursday that she has been humiliated by the defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp, and deserves to reclaim her voice.Heard was the final witness called in the trial, which has been underway for the last six weeks in Fairfax, Va. Both sides rested their rebuttal cases on Thursday. Closing arguments will be made on Friday, and then the jury will begin deliberations, which are expected to extend into next week.Depp has accused Heard of destroying his career with fabricated allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterJohnny Depp again denied on Wednesday that he had been violent toward his ex-wife, Amber Heard, calling her testimony in the ongoing defamation case “insane” and “horrible.”Depp’s lawyers called him to the stand to respond to a variety of matters that had come up over the six-week trial, as they continued to present their rebuttal witnesses. Depp first testified over the course of four days in April.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterJohnny Depp’s ex-girlfriend, supermodel Kate Moss, testified on Wednesday that Depp did not push her down a flight of stairs while they were dating in the 1990s.Moss was called to debunk that story — the subject of a longstanding tabloid rumor — as Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard neared its conclusion in Fairfax, Va. Moss appeared by video link from Gloucestershire, England, and testified for a total of about five minutes.Depp is suing Heard for referencing her domestic violence allegations against him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterL.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso responded on Tuesday to TV ads that compare him to Donald Trump, accusing the ads’ principal financial backer, mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, of “lying” about him.The mayoral primary is just two weeks away, and polls show Caruso in a tight race against Karen Bass in a multi-candidate field. If no candidate secures a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff.Katzenberg, a longtime Hollywood power broker and Democratic fundraiser, has contributed $600,000 to an independent committee supporting Bass, a Democratic congresswoman.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterTMZ filed an emergency motion on Tuesday seeking to block Johnny Depp from calling one of its former employees to testify at his defamation trial in Virginia.In the motion, TMZ said it was seeking to protect a confidential source who had provided the outlet with a video of Depp yelling at ex-wife Amber Heard and slamming cabinets. The video was played for the jury early on in the trial.Depp’s team has indicated that it will call Morgan Tremaine, a former TMZ field assignment manager, as a witness on Wednesday.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe president of DC Films testified Tuesday that the studio considered replacing Amber Heard for “Aquaman 2” out of concern that she lacked chemistry with star Jason Momoa.Heard was ultimately cast in the sequel, but her lawyers have argued that she nearly lost the job and could not renegotiate for more money due to the backlash over her domestic abuse allegations against Johnny Depp. Heard is seeking $100 million in a defamation counterclaim against Depp.Walter Hamada, the head of Warner Bros.’ DC unit, was the first witness called by Depp’s side as they begin their rebuttal of Heard’s counterclaim in court in Fairfax, Va.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA Virginia judge on Tuesday denied Johnny Depp’s motion to dismiss Amber Heard’s counterclaim, ruling that the issue should be decided by the jury.The counterclaim alleges that Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman, defamed Heard and damaged her career when he accused her and her friends of perpetrating an “abuse hoax.” Heard’s side rested their case Tuesday morning, prompting Depp’s team to make the routine motion to dismiss the claim.Depp’s attorney, Ben Chew, argued that Waldman was offering his opinion, and that therefore he cannot have committed defamation. Chew also argued that there is no evidence that Depp saw or knew about Waldman’s statements until the counterclaim was filed.“He did believe, and will to his dying day, that Ms. Heard’s claims of abuse were patently false,” Chew said.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAn entertainment industry expert testified Monday that Amber Heard lost $45 million to $50 million in endorsements and TV and film income over claims that she faked domestic violence allegations against ex-husband Johnny Depp.Heard’s team called the expert, Kathryn Arnold, as well as a psychiatrist and an orthopedic surgeon as the defamation trial began its sixth and final week. Heard’s lawyers were also expected to call Depp to the stand on Monday, but they ultimately decided they did not need his testimony.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterHollywood unions and entertainment studios both support doing something to tighten firearms safety rules in the wake of the “Rust” shooting.But they don’t agree on what that something is, and the disagreement has dimmed the chances of new set safety legislation out of Sacramento this year.On Thursday, Sen. Anthony Portantino held up two bills — SB 829 and SB 831 — that reflected the competing approaches of the studios and the unions.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterTwo bills intended to strengthen safety on California movie sets stalled in the state legislature on Thursday, after Hollywood unions and major studios failed to agree on the best approach.Both bills — SB 829 and SB 831 — came in response to the shooting last October on the set of “Rust” in Santa Fe, N.M. Actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun that was loaded with a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding the film’s director.Both bills would have established a new training requirement for film armorers. Much of the blame for the “Rust” shooting has been directed at Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the inexperienced armorer who loaded Baldwin’s gun.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAmber Heard’s agent testified Thursday that she lost out on job opportunities amid the online backlash over her abuse allegations against ex-husband Johnny Depp.Jessica Kovacevic, Heard’s agent at WME, was the last of a series of witnesses called by Heard’s attorneys on Thursday. After spending several days defending her from Depp’s defamation claim, Heard’s team is now on offense, seeking to prove their $100 million counterclaim that Heard’s career was harmed by Depp’s lawyer, who called her allegations a “hoax.”Heard was the female lead in “Aquaman,” which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide upon its release in December 2018.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterJohnny Depp’s longtime agent testified Thursday that his star power declined over the course of years due to his erratic behavior, and that at one point he asked his agency to give him $20 million because he needed money.Tracey Jacobs, a top agent at United Talent Agency, represented Depp for 30 years until he fired her — and his his longtime lawyer and management firm — in 2016. Jacobs appeared by video deposition on the 19th day of Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, whom he accuses of destroying his career with false allegations of domestic violence.Jacobs testified that over the last 10 years of her representation of him, Depp would habitually show up late to set. He ultimately got a reputation that made it harder to get jobs for him, she said.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterJohnny Depp repeatedly hit Amber Heard in the face during an argument at the couple’s penthouse in March 2015, Heard’s sister told a jury on Wednesday.The sister, Whitney Henriquez, was called to the stand to corroborate Heard’s allegations that Depp repeatedly assaulted her over the course of their four-year relationship. Heard is defending herself from a defamation suit brought by Depp in Fairfax, Va.Henriquez described witnessing a fight in which Depp and Heard were screaming obscenities at each other. Depp ran upstairs toward a mezzanine and hit Henriquez in the back, she said, and then Heard smacked him, saying “Don’t hit my fucking sister.” Depp’s security guard then ran up the stairs.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterJohnny Depp’s lawyer continued to cross-examine Amber Heard on Tuesday, accusing Heard of assaulting Depp and suggesting she was lying about her allegations of domestic violence.Attorney Camille Vasquez played audio recordings of arguments between the couple and read aloud love notes that Heard had written to Depp after the alleged incidents.“You weren’t scared of him at all, were you?” Vasquez asked at one point.“This is a man who tried to kill me,” Heard responded. “Of course it’s scary.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterJohnny Depp’s lawyer began her cross-examination of Amber Heard on Monday afternoon, seeking to undercut Heard’s claim that Depp physically assaulted her numerous times.Camille Vasquez, Depp’s attorney, presented a series of photos of Heard taken shortly after alleged incidents of violence. In the images, Heard did not appear to have bruises or other physical marks.“You should see what it looked like under the makeup,” Heard responded.Heard completed her direct testimony earlier on Monday, saying that she ultimately decided to leave Depp because she feared she would not survive the relationship.When it was her turn to begin cross-examination, Vasquez noted that Depp has not made eye contact with Heard since the trial began more than a month ago.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAmber Heard told jurors on Monday that she decided to divorce Johnny Depp because she was afraid she “wouldn’t survive” if she stayed in the relationship.Heard resumed her testimony after a 10-day break in the defamation trial in Fairfax, Va. Heard recounted the final months of her marriage to Depp, including a series of violent incidents in which she alleges that Depp would choke her, hit her and throw objects at her during drug-fueled rages.Heard filed for divorce in May 2016, after Depp allegedly threw a phone at her, hitting her in the face, during an argument at the couple’s downtown L.A.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA film investor has sued former Weinstein Co. executive David Glasser, now CEO of “Yellowstone” producer 101 Studios, alleging that he failed to repay a personal loan despite repeated assurances.Glasser is best known as producer of the hit Paramount Network drama series “Yellowstone,” starring Kevin Costner, as well as its spinoffs.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterFor the past month, jurors in Virginia have been witness to a tabloid spectacle. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have taken turns revealing every detail of their four-year relationship, including serious allegations of bloody violence and sexual assault, as well as merely lurid accounts of screaming fights, promiscuous drug use, and bowel movements.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association sued the organization on Wednesday, claiming he was sexually harassed and called a “terrorist” and an “angry Arab” by members of the group.Husam “Sam” Asi is a presenter on BBC Arabic, and has been a member of the HFPA since 2010. He was put on probation in February after The Wrap reported that three women had accused him of sexual misconduct.In the lawsuit, Asi says that the allegations against him are false, and that they were “weaponized” by the HFPA to retaliate against him for holding the leadership accountable.